Keep Breathing
by Eltuine
Summary: When Thane meets Shepard, he's broken and ready to die. She brings back his spark, and he finds something that he never thought he'd have again. The galaxy is under attack, and Thane falls fighting with the woman who owns his heart and soul. How can love last after death? ME2-3 within canon, then continuing after the end of the games (You'll find out how). M for adult lemons.
1. Chapter 1

_All Mass Effect characters, plot and situations belong to Bioware and EA. Original dialogue and situations belong to me. Thanks to Bioware for such a fantastic game, story, and to you for reading!_

Breathe.

He closed both sets of eyelids for a brief moment, calming himself, preparing for what lay ahead; his final mission. He was ready to die.

He ran through the same checks that he had done dozens of times before. He didn't need to think about it, it was all automatic. _Sniper rifle loaded, ammo full, barrel unobstructed, backup SMG ready, harness secure. _His target wasn't going to see another sunrise. Ready, he folded his hands, bowing his head for a moment,

"Amonkira, lord of hunters," he began, voice barely above a whisper, "Grant that my hand be steady, my aim be true, and my feet swift. And should I be successful, grant me forgiveness." It was a prayer that he had repeated many times before, each remembered with the perfect clarity that only his species could have. He appealed to one of the old Gods of his people, one whom many had abandoned, but who held special meaning to a killer such as himself. He did not pray because he was afraid he would not succeed; he had been trained for this one purpose since he was six years old, killing since six years after that. He prayed because he needed to: no matter that the woman he was to kill was a killer herself, no matter that his body was simply the tool being used by another to bring about her end, he was about to take a sentient life, and so he asked for forgiveness.

His brief moment of silence ended, he looked up, and steeled himself against feeling. This, too, was part of his ritual, bringing himself from person – whole, thinking, feeling – to body – hard, unyielding, instinctual. He looked over the shipping crate behind which he had paused to ready himself. The door to the tower he was preparing to enter did not appear to be guarded, and even if it had been, no mercenary would have seen the pair of inky black eyes watching them through the dying evening light. Besides, this tower was still under construction, and so was not nearly under the same scrutiny as the one it stood beside. It should have been though. The two structures were connected, over one hundred floors up, by a bridge. It was as of yet uncovered, open to the elements and whipped by constant wind, but it was a way across nonetheless. His target would be in her office, in the penthouse of the completed tower, and reaching her through this second skyscraper would be significantly easier than fighting through the dozens of mercenaries she employed to guard her in the first tower. He knew that he would encounter resistance; he counted on it. That was his reason for choosing this mission, to encounter resistance, but he didn't expect to be overwhelmed by it until after his target had been eliminated.

He stood, adjusting his holstered weapons one last time, and slipped into the shadows surrounding the building. His week-long surveillance of Dantius Towers had given him intimate knowledge of the comings and goings, and he knew he would reach the nearest air vent without trouble. He passed through the doors and turned left, the map clear in his mind, his route chosen after a careful look at blueprints obtained during a previous night's work. Six paces in, look up to the left, approximately 42 centimetres above his head, a ventilation panel. The magnetic screws holding it in place were already loose, not through his own work but in order to facilitate easy access by the various Salarian maintenance crews still at work on the complicated ductwork that ran throughout the tower. He removed three of the screws, turning the vent cover so it hung by the remaining corner, and pulled himself up with a strength bellied by his lithe, slim figure. If he had been concerned with covering his tracks, he would have pulled the grille back into place, fastening it with a spray of adhesive, but tonight he didn't care about not getting caught, as long as he made it to his target first.

His target… Nassana Dantius. CEO of a multi-trillion credit corporation, with a heart as black and empty as the void. She had started her rise to the top following the convenient death of her business rival several decades ago. Two years previous she had arranged for her younger sister, Dahlia, to be killed, following Dahlia's attempts to blackmail her, though it wasn't common knowledge that Dahlia, a pirate wanted for a variety of crimes, was related to Nassana at all. Those who had been unfortunate enough to be privy to that secret had also met their ends. Whatever it took to defend her reputation, Nassana did it. He was certain that he was not the first assassin to come after her, but he would obviously be the only successful one. She was paranoid, though not without reason, and kept herself constantly surrounded by a personal bodyguard made up of mercenaries from the elite Eclipse group. He knew that it was only a matter of time until his presence was detected, and he would have to start fighting his way up. Fortunately, the alarm system hadn't proven to be too difficult for him to deal with, so he had some time before things got complicated.

He liked complicated.

It wasn't that he was heartless. On the contrary, heart had been a motivator for some of the deaths that he had caused, but he had to admit that there was a high that he got from a successful job. The Hanar, the race who had trained him for this work, had given him a purpose, honed him into an instrument of death, and he was the best at what he did. They were a polite, religious, physically frail people, incapable of performing the type of task to which he was so well suited. His family had been honored to give him up to the Compact, the centuries-old agreement between his species and theirs that had saved his kind from extinction, and he did not once resent his place. His eyes took on a far-away gaze for a moment as he lapsed suddenly into the powerful memory recall unique to his race. _Hands, gripping the rifle, holding a breath to take the shot – synthetic target recoiling with the impact of a bullet – "This one is impressed with the Drell's progress." _He blinked, back in reality. His first time with a real weapon. He remembered it perfectly; he remembered everything perfectly. The Drell possessed eidetic memories. He could not afford to waste time reminiscing though, he had a job to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Crawling forward through the air duct, the assassin felt the slight hum from fans several floors underground. One wrong turn and it was a dead drop into those spinning blades. It would be an unpleasant way to end. He focused on the path he was to take, moving forward on elbows and knees. He had gone maybe ten metres when he passed another vent and heard voices.

"There's someone in the tower! Get the Salarians out of here! I want this place locked down!" It was a radio communicator, and a second voice, this one just under the vent, quickly responded,

"Should we give them a few minutes or-" He was cut off,

"No! Get them out now! Send the mechs after them if you have to! I want them gone!"

The assassin didn't bother waiting to hear the reply. The mercenary would follow orders and turn the robotic security drones on the Salarian workers throughout the tower. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. This was his fault. Silently, he said a prayer to Arashu, goddess of motherhood and protection, asking that the Salarians make it out alive before the mechs started shooting. They were innocent in this, and their deaths would be on his conscience. Or they would have been, had he been expecting to make it out alive. He continued along and up the duct, now aware of the sounds of gunfire below.

Several minutes later he paused again, this time aware of a merc approaching the vent nearest to where he was moving.

"I think he's in the ventilation shafts!" The mercenary called out, informing a second guard if the assassin's presence, while simultaneously pulling off the vent cover, "I'm going to go take a loo-" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the assassin pulled him up, neatly and efficiently breaking his neck as he did so. A quick burst from his gun took care of the second guard. Leaving the one body outside the vent where it had fallen, he pulled the first mercenary over to the nearest drop and pushed him over the edge. That's when he saw them.

The glance that he caught was so brief, there was no way that they could have spotted him, but he was nonetheless shaken. One floor down, three people had been standing, peering up into the shaft from which the mercenary's broken body had fallen. They were not Eclipse mercs. Quickly, he went over the details in his mind.

Three people. One Turian, male, two Humans, female. None of them wore a uniform from a mercenary group that he recognised. The one human had been hooded, her face obscured by shadow. The Turian was badly scarred, the right side of his face damaged. The second human wore armor with the N7 insignia on the right of the collar. She was Human Alliance, Marine Special Forces. What was she doing in Dantius Towers, and at the same time he was there? This was too much to be a coincidence. It looked like he was to have some competition. Then he paused for a moment; competition, or were they there for him? He quickly continued on up through the vent, pushing towards his goal with renewed purpose. This was no longer a simple matter of getting to Nassana Dantius to kill her – he now had to beat a team of operatives led by an elite marine, and he had no intention of not completing the job. It was time to step up his game.

Reaching the next floor, he kicked out the vent cover and vaulted down to the floor, keeping a careful watch around him for mercenaries. He held his sniper rifle in the ready position. He would rather avoid engaging in a fire fight before it was necessary, but he was nothing if not prepared. Hearing voices nearby, he froze, listening,

"Oh gods, oh gods, Shelum!" came a frantic whisper, "We're going to die! We're going to die!" The first voice was quickly hushed by a second – Shelum, the assassin presumed,

"Quiet! Are you trying to get us killed? If anyone finds us…"

The voices were coming from a storage room, not far to his right. A quick visual sweep revealed no immediate dangers, so he stepped towards the door and opened it.

Inside were two of the Salarian construction workers, huddled together, hands up to protect their faces. He regarded them for a moment, before ordering,

"Stay here. I'm locking you in. Someone will be searching this facility come morning, and you will be let out." With that, he closed the door and bypassed the locking mechanism, both sealing the Salarians in and the mercenaries out. At least two innocent lives would be spared tonight. He returned his focus to the task at hand, and his next destination: the elevator. It would be foolhardy to use the actual elevator car, who knew what manner of heavy weaponry might wait within, and he was only one man, but the elevator shaft did not yet have all security systems functioning, and so made for easy access to the upper floors. It was just a matter of entering the corridor at a set of doors that the elevator was not present at, and avoiding being crushed by the car if it were to pass by him. This was the reason for the harness he carried with him. While he was perfectly capable of making his way up the elevator shaft without the use of technology, should the car pass by him, he would be forced to let go of the handholds and swing to the side. The harness would enable him to do so without the chance of missing a grip and plummeting to his death. Simple, in theory. He hoped that he would not have to test it out in practice.

The first step was to ensure that the elevator would not be on the same floor as the one that he was entering from. This was simple enough; he had a small piece of material kept in an airtight vacuum container specifically for this purpose. A chemical compound developed on his homeworld of Kahje, upon first inspection it appeared to be nothing more than a hand-sized piece of plastic. For all intents and purposes, that was exactly what it was. Its beauty lay in the unique properties of the chemical it was comprised of. In a vacuum, it was solid and sturdy. Expose it to air for more than a minute and it began degrading, sublimating until it eventually disintegrated entirely. This was how he would ensure that the elevator would stay on this floor until he reached the shaft one floor up. He would have to move fast, but moving fast was what he was good at. The biggest risk lay in calling the elevator to the floor he was on. There was no guarantee that it wouldn't be full of armed mercenaries, or the commandos from downstairs. It was a risk he had to take. He pressed the call button and returned swiftly back around the corner from which he had come, rifle trained on the door. Several moments later, the panel turned green, and the doors slid open, revealing two Eclipse mercenaries, weapons drawn. The assassin squeezed a shot out before the pair had even registered the door opening, dropping one merc instantly. The second guard, a young Asari woman, turned to her fallen comrade, a look of shock flitting across her face before she, too, was down. The assassin moved out from his hiding spot and did a quick visual sweep. Both women were dead, two good, clean kills. He expected nothing less from himself. He had been taught from the very beginning to end suffering in his targets as quickly as possible. There had only been one violent day when he had disobeyed this rule, and he still felt shame in remembering it. He lapsed into memory recall before he could stop himself. _Two sets of eyes look up at him, pleading - "Please," the Batarian rasped, "Just kill me!" - "Like you killed her?" the assassin asks_. He shook his head, back in the present. That was definitely not a memory in which he wanted to get lost. Satisfied that the bodies were not blocking the elevator door, he removed the vacuum container from a pocket in the long grey coat he wore. A quick twist and there was a hiss as air rushed in. He took the Solugel cube and placed it against the edge of the door, in a place that would ensure it would hold the for open until it dissolved, then he was off again, back to the air vent. He made his way swiftly up to the next floor, aware that he only had about three minutes before the elevator doors would close. He likely had more time, as it would not move until called to another level, but if he had made a habit of betting his life on "likely" he would not have made it to fifteen, let alone past thirty.

One level up, he hopped out from the vent cover, and was making his way to the elevator doors, when he heard the telltale swish of a door opening somewhere behind him, followed by raised voices,

"Hey! What are you Salarians doing in here?" It was a mercenary, obviously he had come across another group of the maintenance crew hiding from the gunfire. Obviously terrified, one of the Salarians started pleading,

"Please, we just want to go home! We haven't done anything! We-" He was cut off by the mercenary,

"I've heard enough. Nassana wants you out of this tower, and she doesn't care if it's dead or alive. Now, which one of you would like to go first?" The assassin had heard enough. Sprinting down the hallway, he rounded the corner just in time to see the merc standing inside the doorway, pointing his pistol downwards towards a cowering Salarian. No time to lose, the assassin pulled his rifle up and shot, pinning the mercenary in the back of the skull. Before the mercenary's comrades even realised what had happened, he broke the second one's neck, and shot the third square between the eyes as he spun to see what had happened to his friends. The assassin didn't have time to check on the Salarians, and hoped that they would have the good sense to shut the door and stay hidden. He jogged back to the elevator, and bypassed the safety lock on the doors.

Below him was the car, still stalled a floor down. It would have been much simpler to wait on the top of the elevator and ride it the whole way up, but that would be relying on the off chance that it would be going to the top of the shaft within the next several minutes, and he wasn't willing to wait that long for something that might not happen. The assassin was the best, though, quick, graceful and alert, and had carefully studied the blueprints, giving him the edge that he needed to safely traverse the inner labyrinth of corridors, ductwork and passageways of the towers.

Hooking his harness to an electrical cable to the right of the inner doors, he swung himself into the chute, ready for the long ascent. The harness that he connected was a clever piece of technology, allowing him to move up freely, the loop that attached him to the cable would engage and lock down if he fell more than a foot. Should the need for a speedy descent arise, he could simply press a button, and he would be able to repel freely downwards. His equipment properly connected, he began to climb.

He was fast, agile, and confident in his ascent. He had not always been comfortable climbing. The world from which his people had come had been mostly arid desert and plains, and while it had been two centuries since his kind had lived there, some things were hardwired into the brain. His training had been overcoming that initial hesitation, and moving towards a place where he did not feel fear. Now, if an outsider were to look at him, it would seem to them that he was in his element, hands grasped around a cable, shimmying his way upwards. He got a rhythm going, and soon he was making excellent progress. It would not be long before he could leave the chute and head for the bridge, his target, and, ultimately, his death. It brought him a sense of peace, knowing that it would be over soon.


	3. Chapter 3

The assassin was tired. Tired of living, tired of killing, tired of being unable to atone for the things he had done. He could not afford to allow his mind to wander completely, but he couldn't help from slipping into another memory. _Her seaweed wrapped body, lowering slowly into the sea, taking his heart with her – a small boy looking up at him with tears in his eyes – the taste of ocean and bile in his mouth. _His reverie was halted abruptly by a shuddering noise and a rumbling in the cable he held – the elevator! His first instinct was to swing over to the side, avoiding the car and letting it pass by him, but something made him reconsider. The three commandos downstairs, heading to the same place he was, racing him towards Nassana. In a snap decision he decided to take a risk. Using lightning-fast reflexes, he unclipped the harness from around the cable, and pushed himself out from the wall, landing deftly on the top of the elevator car with knees bent to absorb both impact and sound. He crouched in place as he rose up several floors, then came to a halt.

He could hear several people entering the elevator, then the rumble of a deeply bass voice,

"D'you really think they'll be stupid enough to use the elevator?" It was a Krogan, one of the massive species of warriors, build like tanks and bred for war. His query was answered by a female voice,

"We have the stairs blocked off. The only other way up is through a maze of air ducts. They're either going to run into our forces at the north and south stairwells, or they'll run into us. Be ready." The assassin recognised the cockiness in the woman's voice; she was an Asari commando, one of an elite team of biotic specialists who trained in the use of the innate, telekinesis-like abilities that many species possessed. He himself had some of these talents, and they could be very useful in combat. The marine-led team on lower level was going to face some very difficult opponents if they chose the elevator. It was the logical choice, though, and the one he would have chosen had he not known his way through the ductwork. Going up staircases blockaded with guards would be foolish. The elevator only had so much space, and so could only hold so many opponents before it got to the point where there was no manoeuverability. If the trio downstairs was smart, and he had no doubt that they were, they would take the elevator, and he would be getting a free ride to one of the topmost floors. He resumed listening again when they came to a stop. Sure enough, the moment the doors slid open, there were shots being fired. He heard the distinctive whistle and explosion of a flashbang grenade, and a Krogan yelling "Charge!" followed by more gunfire. A Turian voice called out "One down!" The assassin wondered if it was the Krogan who had fallen. This marine-led trio was good. Krogan were excellent shock troopers, unafraid to charge at their enemy, and able to heal from wounds much quicker than other species, almost instantaneously at times. That this group was holding their own against a group that contained at least one Krogan, an Asari commando, and two others, judging by the sounds of things, was impressive. Even more impressive was the speed with which the rest of the elevator's ambush team was dispatched. Before he could even begin to wonder how each side was faring, the shooting stopped. He heard three pairs of feel walk onto the elevator, and a woman's voice saying,

"Now let's get up to that bridge."

The marines had won, and the race was back on.

It was actually exhilarating, being on top of an elevator as it hurtled upwards towards its destination. This was definitely faster than climbing. The high-speed car was made with the intention of preventing long wait times, so it did not take long before they were several floors from the top, and began to slow. He prepared himself to simultaneously open the emergency hatch and pull himself up out of the elevator's path, but found his preparations unnecessary. The team in the elevator had stopped one floor below the top, a smart move, as that floor was less likely to present the same resistance at the elevator doors as the top. It was a simple matter of climbing up one floor, and opening the hatch onto the roof. He stepped out from the hole and pushed the hatch closed again. The small maintenance room on the roof offered him a place to collect his thoughts and prepare himself before moving forward. The marine would be taking the bridge across. She would have to fight through the uppermost floor first, and then whatever guards were on the bridge itself. He, however, would have a head start on her, and the brunt of Nassana's forces would be distracted by the more obvious firefight on the bridge. There would probably be little to no resistance on the roof, and the top of the bridge covering, while windy, would not have the same defensive capabilities as the actual bridge underneath. He removed his sniper rifle from the holster on his back. The sub-machine gun might have made things easier should he encounter a larger force than expected on the rooftop, but the rifle was silenced, and he was going for stealth. If he was lucky, the security forces wouldn't know that he and the marine team weren't one entity, and they would focus their attention on the bridge itself.

He opened the door cautiously, peering out into the dim evening light. His eyes were excellently adapted to seeing in the dark, green irises and black sclera catching as much light as the evening could provide. There were three mercenaries on the roof that he could see. None of them were paying close attention to the door that he emerged from, so he slipped out noiselessly into the cool air. The guard closest to him was down before he could turn his head, a swift jerk breaking his neck. The other two turned to react. One was met with a sharp jab to the windpipe. The last of the three put up the most fight. The assassin grappled with her for a moment, but in the end he had the upper hand, and her neck was broken, just like the first. He now had the whole roof to himself, so he took the moment to set up his rifle to shoot, peering through the scope to the other roof. There were two guards there, both oblivious to his presence in the dim light on the other roof. He squeezed the trigger once, twice, and they were down. Killing was an art, and he was an artist.

It was easy to make his way along the bridge cover. The wind was powerful, gusts buffeting him with a force that might have put another in danger of falling, but he was not only agile; he was also strong. Keeping his centre of gravity low, he hurried across the open expanse, and vaulted lightly onto the roof of the other tower. There was no remaining resistance on this roof, and he was feeling more confident about reaching Nassana first. N7 operatives weren't the type to go blazing through a building and then sneak through the final floors. They would be fighting their way over the bridge soon enough. He, however, had just discovered a stroke of good luck.

The two guards he had dispatched from the opposite roof had left the stairwell door unlocked. He slipped inside and made his way noiselessly toward the air duct opening. This would lead to his final destination. He paused for a moment, blinking in surprise as he realized; he was not going to die tonight. What he had hoped would be his final mission, a way to avoid his fate, was going much differently than expected. The marine operatives had dispatched so many of Nassana's mercenaries that he would be facing very little opposition on his escape. It would be interesting to see the outcome of this race, and to meet his opponents. He pushed the thoughts aside for the moment, focusing on the task at hand. He could hear gun fire coming from the bridge. A smile played at the corner of his lips; he found himself looking forward to meeting these marine operatives, discovering their story. He doubted that they were here just for a corrupt businesswoman.


	4. Chapter 4

Shimmying through the ductwork, the assassin calmed his breathing and prepared for what lay ahead. He had already prayed to his gods for forgiveness and luck, so this centering breath only took a moment before he continued forward. Another three turns and he was above Nassana's office. He paused for a moment, listening, and heard voices below. It was the marines! He was surprised, they had made quick work of the mercenaries on the bridge, and had managed to reach Nassana just as he had. They were good. He listened, curious as to what they were saying. It seemed that Nassana was acquainted with the leader of the operatives. Then the marine said something that confirmed what the assassin had been wondering about,

"I'm not an assassin Nassana, but I am looking for one." So they were looking for him, as he'd begun to suspect. To kill him? So be it, he thought. That had been the original purpose of this mission anyway. What did it matter who did the killing? Then Nassana said a name that he recognized; Shepard. _The_ Shepard? The woman who had saved the citadel not three years previously? He had been right, this would be very interesting. He shifted his weight, readying himself to drop down into the office below.

The guards were jumpy, twitching at every little noise, and Nassana was just as anxious. She sent two of the mercenaries to check the other entrances, leaving herself with only three mercenaries for protection. This was the perfect time for him to strike. He dropped down noiselessly behind the first mercenary, bringing his hands up to grasp the man on either side of his head. A strong, sharp twist, and the man went down. The next guard attempted to grab him, but he already had his fist in the man's sternum, dropping him to the floor. The final mercenary, a young Asari woman, was shot in the chest, point blank. Nassana had barely had time to react, turning around to demand answers that he had no intention of giving. His gun was already at her stomach, his finger already pulling the trigger. He fired, and she fell forward, towards him. He gently laid her back against the desk, folding her hands over her chest, and bowed his head. His job was done. He had taken another life, and now he would see what it was that the commandos wanted from him. He folded his hands, silently asking that her soul be taken to the sea, that she could find peace in death that she had not found in life, and then he began his usual prayer. The woman, Shepard, stepped forward.

"I was hoping to talk to you," she said. He remained silent for another moment, then spoke,

"I apologize, but prayers for the wicked must never be forsaken." He looked up, and at the woman who had provided him with such a convenient distraction. The first thing that came to mind when he looked at her was fire. Her hair was the color of flame, cut just below her jaw and tucked behind her ears. He had always been interested by hair. His species did not grow it, nor did any of the other races in Citadel space. Hair was unique to humans, and it was interesting to see the differences in how they wore it. He was surprised at how young she was. Considering how she had saved an entire space station and the seat of galactic political power with a team of only six other people, he had pictured someone older, more experienced. She was a young woman still. Her eyes were fierce, determined. She looked like an avenging angel, come to rain down judgment upon the wicked. He was tempted to smile, but fought the impulse. He still didn't know why she had come to find him.

"She certainly was wicked," Shepard said. He shook his head slightly,

"Not for her. For me," he explained. He was a killer, and was wicked, regardless of whose hand bade him to do the killing. "The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.," He continued, "Take you for instance. All this destruction, chaos. I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me," He paused, presenting himself to her, "Well, here I am." His voice was low, quiet. Hers was far more commanding,

"How'd you know I was coming at all?" She asked. She looked perplexed, and slightly concerned, as though she was nervous that he might have some skill in mind reading or precognition. He explained himself,

"I didn't, not until you marched in the front door and started shooting. Nassana had become paranoid. You saw the strength of her guard force. She believed one of her sisters would kill her. You were a valuable distraction." He felt no shame in admitting this; it was the truth. She seemed unperturbed, and simply continued with what she had to say.

"Let's cut to the chase. I need you for a mission." That he had started to suspect, so he was not surprised. He was, however, intrigued, and so prompted her to continue,

"Indeed." He could not tell if she was frustrated by his taciturn response, but if she was, she hid it well, and merely asked,

"You're familiar with the collectors?" That was interesting. He was, though not by personal contact. They were a heartless, mysterious race, appearing in Citadel space rarely, and then only to acquire unique "specimens" of sentient species. He did not like the sound of them.

"By reputation," he said, still reserved. He still hadn't received any real explanation.

"They're abducting entire human colonies," Shepard explained, "Freedom's progress was their handiwork." Now that was troubling. He had heard about Freedom's Progress. An entire human colony, emptied of all inhabitants without so much as a struggle. They had all simply vanished. If this was the work of the Collectors, then he feared for the fate of the missing humans. He did not voice this, though, wanting to find out what Shepard had to do with any of this. Instead, he simply said,

"I see." The Turian behind Shepard looked frustrated, impatient. Turians were not usually ones for talking, preferring action. The assassin, however, was infinitely patient. It was an essential skill. He listened instead of talking, waiting to hear what she would say. She did not disappoint.

"We're going after them." Now he was truly interested, beyond mere personal curiosity. No one had ever been to the collector homeworld, or at least, none who had survived. How would this be any different? He voiced his thoughts,

"Attacking the collectors would require passing through the omega 4 relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so." The mass relays were what allowed travel throughout the galaxy, mass effect generators that created corridors of mass-free space. Some were inactive out of fear of encountering a hostile species. The Omega 4 relay, however, was active, but only the Collectors could safely pass through it. Shepard appeared to have a plan, but he was unsure as to whether or not she was bluffing. She was very confident when she stated,

"My ship will be the first." The assassin did not need to think long about his decision, but clarified, making sure that this young woman knew what she was asking of him.

"You'd like me to protect humans I've never met from aliens no one knows anything about by going to a place no one's ever returned from." It was not a question. She responded,

"That's the gist of it." He appreciated her frankness. Seeing how he had not met his end on this mission, he would he happy to help protect innocents from the horrible machinations of the Collectors. The fact that he would most likely not survive was simply that, a fact, neither negative nor positive. He owed Shepard some sort of explanation, though, if he was to be working for her.

"This was to be my last job. I'm dying…" he paused, mulling over his own fate for a moment before continuing, "Low survival odds don't concern me. The abduction of your colonists does." Shepard did not seem to know what to say. At first he thought that it was a reaction to his confession of impending death, but when she spoke he realised that it stemmed instead from dealing with the very speciesist attitudes of so many members of most races,

"Not to look a gift assassin in the mouth, but why are human colonists a concern to you?" The idiom threw him for a moment, and he made a mental note to look it up on the extranet later, and he thought for a moment of how best to explain himself, to explain why he was willing to risk his life for people whom he had never met.

"They are innocent yes?" he asked, rhetorically, "Like all victims of the collectors. The universe is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. Many innocents died today. I wasn't fast enough and they suffered. I must atone for that." The innocent Salarian workers who he had been unable to help weighed on his mind, "I will work for you Shepard, no charge." She stepped forward, hand extended in a human gesture of greeting, friendship and contract. He extended his own, slightly different hand, his middle and ring fingers fused together like all other members of his species, and took hers in his own as she said,

"I look forward to working with you, Thane."


	5. Chapter 5

The shuttlecar ride to Shepard's ship was relatively uneventful. Thane took the time to introduce himself to the two people accompanying the commander. He held his hand out to the other human woman, the one with the hood shading her eyes. She had a small, lithe frame and was very lively, in a mischevious sort of way.

"Thane Krios," he said by way of introduction. She clasped his hand in hers,

"Kasumi Goto. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Krios. Your reputation precedes you." His brow rose. He knew of Kasumi by reputation. She was a master thief, possibly the best in the galaxy. Not many knew her name, even fewer knew her face. It was only through his own contacts that he had discovered any information about her at all. If the rest of Shepard's team had credentials like his own and Ms. Goto's, they might just stand a chance. He turned to the Turian, who inclined his head in acknowledgement, preferring not to have a physical greeting like the humans' handshake.

"Garrus Vakarian," He said, echoing Thane's short introduction, "I hope you're as good as they say you are." Thane smiled,

"I'm better," he replied, then paused for a moment. He knew that name. His memory was useful for times like these, and he instantly was able to recall where he had heard it before. _"Who took them out?" He asked, trying to discern what had happened to his targets, a group of mercenary thugs who had mugged his employer's daughter. His contact had nothing more than three words for an answer, "Garrus Vakarian, Archangel." _So this was Archangel, the vigilante who had been cleaning up on Omega station, the underbelly of galactic civilization. "Archangel. I should thank you. You took care of some targets of mine, made my job much easier." If Garrus was surprised that Thane knew who he was, he didn't show it, inclining his head and saying only,

"My pleasure." The Turian had a confident air about him, the scars on his face adding to his rugged appearance. The plate-like scales on his head swept back into a long fringe, and he had probably been quite handsome, by Turian terms, before whatever had caused the injury to his face. Thane knew that he had been a member of Citadel Security, the station's police force, before joining with Shepard during the mission that had made her famous. Judging by his actions on Omega, however, he was more interested with justice than the law, which suited Thane just fine, considering his own line of work. He turned his attention to Commander Shepard. She was sitting quietly on the edge of the bench, staring out the window in a way that told Thane she wasn't really seeing whatever she was looking at. It was a look he wore all too often, though for him it was far easier to get lost in memory. He considered saying something to break her reverie, but thought better of it and turned to look out the opposite window. Sometimes people needed silence, a fact that he understood better than most. Besides, it wasn't five more minutes before they were landing at a docking area, and he got his first glimpse of the ship that Shepard claimed would be the first to make it through the Omega 4 relay.

The Normandy was a beautiful piece of machinery, from both a technical and aesthetic point of view. The long, thin, slightly bowed body that swept back towards wide tail-wings hinted at great speed, and there was no missing the massive cannon mounted on the belly of the ship. This ship would be a tough opponent in a fight. Thane only hoped that it would be enough to take on the Collectors, who were known for their advanced technology, which they often used as currency in their trades for "specimens". He set about acquainting himself with the crew, and getting to know the ins and outs of life on the Normandy.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks for the reviews, reviewers! It's wonderful to know that people are reading my story and enjoying it. I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint._

The crew that Shepard had collected thus far was a rather eclectic mix of species, especially considering the organization providing the funding for this mission: Cerberus. Known throughout the galaxy as a human-centric organization, Cerberus had been associated with a variety of unsavory, unethical, and downright terrorist-like activities.

Thane had seen firsthand some of the atrocities committed by Cerberus in the past in the name of furthering the cause of humanity. They had infected their own people with a parasite found on the human homeworld. In nature it infected ants, causing them to climb to the tops of blades of grass in order to be eaten by large mammals, in whose stomachs the parasite could mature. Cerberus had genetically engineered the parasite in an attempt to control the minds of their subjects. What they ended up with instead were gibbering idiots, incapable of performing anything but the simplest of tasks. Thane had discovered them during a mission to assassinate a scientist performing experiments on missing Hanar. They were being used as slave labor, and most had been executed by Cerberus guards before Thane had been able to save them; more deaths on his conscience. The three who had survived had been dropped off at a hospital. The last that he had heard, they were not showing any signs of recovery. He had of course been concerned when he discovered who this mission was being funded by, but conversation with the other members of Shepard's team allayed his fears. This was Shepard's mission, not Cerberus's, and she didn't like their methods any more than he did.

Shepard was a fierce young woman, as he had gathered upon first encountering her. Anyone who stood in her way had to be crazy or suicidal, but she had a softer side as well. Not long after joining Shepard, Thane had been selected for a mission to help Miranda, the Cerberus operative and XO, keep her sister out of the hands of her megalomaniacal father. Shepard had stopped Miranda from firing on her friend, who had betrayed her, and had comforted her afterwards when the young man, Niket, had ended up dead regardless. Then, in a move that had Thane rather confused initially, she had stopped just before leaving the cargo port they had been fighting through, and picked up a small necklace that had been left on a crate by the door.

Thane hadn't understood it at first. It wasn't a particularly valuable piece of jewelry, and Shepard had never worn any adornments that he could see, so he could see no reason for taking that small, insignificant piece of metal from its resting place. Her reason quickly became obvious when they had been passing through to where the Normandy was docked. Shepard had stopped by a distraught Asari woman, and handed her the necklace. It contained a photo of the human man the Asari had been mated to before his death, and was the woman's only memento of her husband to give to her daughter. This touched Thane. Shepard was a warrior, yes, but she was good, and not only in the sense of being good at what she did. She was a good person, and the more Thane watched her, the more he could see that.

Over his time aboard the Normandy, and on missions with Shepard, he watched as she saved a brainwashed Krogan scout by giving him the motivation to not give in, convinced an angry Asari to release a group of human colonists from a contract forcing them to undergo medical testing, and proven a young Quarian woman innocent after she had been accused of pickpocketing an angry Volus. Throughout all of this, Shepard had kept her cool, acting with tact and diplomacy, only letting her ferocious side through for a moment when, after proving the Quarian innocent, the Volus had said she "could have" stolen it, and the Citadel Security officer who had been questioning the pair threatened to run the Quarian in for vagrancy. Shepard had been fierce in her denouncement of the two men, calling them out for their racism and classism, a judgement that Thane silently agreed with. She had been like an avenging angel, swooping down in defense of the defenseless, and Thane began to find himself fascinated by her, watching her not just when they were on missions together, but when she went about her business on the Normandy.

In the Mess, she joked and bantered with the crew members, slipping easily into the social aspects of ship life that Thane, a much more solitary, pensive creature, had never quite mastered. She was such a strong person that a less observant individual might have missed it, but there was a vulnerable side to Shepard as well, and Thane felt himself becoming more and more drawn to this woman. She reminded him of something that he'd had, and lost, and she had awoken him. When they first met, he had been asleep, moving through life without feeling or caring, waiting for his death. Now, he felt truly alive again. Speaking to her about his past had been difficult.

During one of their conversations, Thane had asked for Shepard's help with a personal matter. He had explained about his wife, Irikah, his son, Kolyat, his failure to protect them, and how that had resulted in Irikah's death. Shepard had been kind, and helped him to prevent his son from traveling down the same path that his father had taken, even using her rapport with Citadel security to prevent Kolyat from being sent to prison for his attempt at assassination.

The last time they had spoken, Thane had called her a friend, and she had replied that friendship "was a start". He had felt his heart flutter at those words, and had called her by the name he had been thinking of her by for the past month, "Siha". Her reaction had been one of curiosity and puzzlement, and Thane found himself replaying the bewildered look on her face more than once, finding it very endearing. She was perfect, and he intended to tell her how he felt.

The opportunity came sooner than Thane had expected. She came to speak with him in his usual haunt down in Life Support, and told him she had been thinking about him. A smile came unbidden to his face as he confessed that he had been thinking of her as well, and began to explain to her what Siha meant. As he told her of his resignation to death during the Dantius mission, a small frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. Then he explained what had changed,

"But someone else was pushing to reach the target, forcing me to move faster, challenging me. I had to reach her first." He could see the faintest hint of surprise and disbelief cross Shepard's face.

"You're alive because I wounded your pride?" He chuckled to himself, inwardly, at her unimpressed tone and explained that pride is the difference between a professional and a thug, and then explained what Siha meant.

"One of the warrior angels of the goddess Arashu, fierce in wrath, a tenacious protector." He decided that it was now or never. He had to tell her how he felt, if only to face the rejection. "I confess," he began, "I've… come to care for you. Perhaps I'm being foolish, we are very different…" He trailed off, and sat for what felt like the longest second of his life, before she spoke,

"I'm not sure we know each other well enough to call it love," his heartbeat picked up. This did not sound like rejection, and she reached her hands across the table to hold his. She continued, "But I feel something for you too. Something more than friendship." He was paralysed by a strange mix of emotion; happiness at her shared affection, apprehension about drawing another woman into the life he led, fear for what the future would bring. Her hands were so soft against his own, an interested contrast against his scales. He realised that he had no idea how to proceed, having never been involved anyone who was not Drell. He voiced his concern,

"I've never felt affection for another species. I-I'm not sure what to do now." His voice waivered and he cringed, mentally, at this show of weakness. Shepard was not the woman he was falling in love with without reason, however, and she simply smiled at his hesitation, and replied,

"We'll just have to figure it out." A smile broke on his face, genuine and slightly shy, and he said,

"I look forward to the memories." An answering smile stretched across the commander's features, and Thane tucked the memory away for the future, knowing that he would be able to watch that slow, feminine grin over and over again. While perfect memory could have its drawbacks, making it difficult to get over a lost loved one or past wrong, it was times like this that he was glad to be able to recall in perfect clarity, because they were often over all too soon.

As if reading his mind, Shepard withdrew her hands from his,

"I should go," she said, "I haven't slept in about eighteen hours. The Collectors won't need to shoot me. I'll fall asleep on some pirate freighter and they'll just chuck me out an airlock." Thane chuckled, knowing that would never happen, and nodded to her,

"Pleasant dreams, Siha," he said.

"You too," she replied, and left the way she had come. He smiled to himself again – he was doing a lot more of that recently – and leaned back against his hands laced behind his head,

"Of that, I have no doubt," he said, to no one in particular.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy._

Her smaller, softer body pushed against his own, her hands running up and down over the horizontal stripes on his back.

"Thane…" she whispered, her voice full of longing. The sound shot straight to his groin, and he groaned, trailing kisses up her neck. "Thane," she said again, more forcefully. He pulled at her shirt, untucking it from her pants, eager to feel all of her, to revel in the way her human anatomy was so different and yet similar to his own kind.

"THANE!" He awoke abruptly, sleep being violently pushed aside by the voice coming through the comm. He shook his head, and answered, still groggy from being woken so suddenly,

"Yes, I'm here," he was lying on his bed. He pressed his palm to his face. These dreams were going to drive him crazy. Every night for the past four, he had dreamt of Shepard. Every night, the dream would start off the same. They would kiss, lightly at first, but he would push it to something more, responding to the need building within him. She would know exactly how to touch him, how to move, to drive him over the edge with desire, and he would be about to remove her clothing when something would wake him up. This time it was the comm. The night previous, it was Garrus coming to ask about rifle calibrations, and the two nights before that he had simply woken without reason. His nerves were starting to fray as the sexual frustration built within him, but, ever the consummate professional, he pushed his body's needs down, and focused on the mission. It was Jack on the other end of the comm, this time.

Jack was an angry young woman, who had every right to be, as she put it, "royally pissed off," after having been kidnapped by Cerberus as a child and experimented upon in an effort to increase her biotic ability. Obviously the experiments had been partially successful, as Thane had never met a human as skilled in biotics before, but her mental and emotional state had suffered greatly for it.

"Took you long enough! God. Were you sleeping, or dead?" she asked. Thane sighed. Jack had less tact than some Krogan he had met, and an equal passion for unbridled violence.

"Apologies," he said, "I have been a heavy sleeper as of late." Though not heavy enough, he thought bitterly.

"Great, like I give a shit about your sleep patterns," came Jack's answer, "Shepard found something while scanning some planet for palladium or whatever. We're going to check it out. She's grabbing her equipment, and put me in charge of wakey wakey. Be in the shuttle bay in five."

"Affirmative," Thane said, disconnecting the comm and turning to put his feet on the ground. It was not unusual to be woken up for some sort of mission or response to a distress signal. There was a regular duty roster that was fairly consistently adhered to, barring the need for a specific skill set for certain circumstances. It was for this reason that Thane had only intended on napping for a short while, and had stayed in his clothing. He rubbed his hands over his face again, attempting both to wake himself up and remove the lingering dream from his mind. Unfortunately, his mind had other ideas, and he couldn't stop the memory from coming.

_Her hands, soft and smooth against his rougher scales, run back along the ridges above his ear canals, teasing him. He kisses her jaw, breathing in the warm, slightly sweet smell of her skin, and moves his hands around her shoulders._

"_Touch me, Thane," she breathes, licking the sensitive flesh on his neck, eliciting a moan from him as his hips press into hers._

Yes, these dreams definitely had to stop. He sighed and pulled on his boots, ignoring how his pants felt a bit tighter than usual thanks to the memory of the previous night's dreaming, and grabbed his guns. Heading to the elevator down to the shuttle bay, he ran into Shepard, also on her way down.

"Hey Thane," she said, stepping aside so that they both had equal space in the car, "Catching up on some sleep?" He smiled at her. She was so nonchalant, especially for someone dressed in armor, carrying an assault rifle, and with a rocket launcher strapped to her back.

"I was," he replied, "Though I had not intended to be asleep for long. I believe that Jack was not impressed with my delayed response to her… how did she put it, 'wakey wakey'? She is an odd young woman." Shepard smiled, a small chuckle sounding in her chest, making Thane want to kiss her.

"You can say that again," Shepard said, "Though I'll confess, she picked up that particular term from me. That's what they used to call wake up time back in my academy days. One lieutenant in charge of our training took particular pleasure in waking us up for 05:00 by playing Krogan battle song recordings. You ever hear a Krogan sing, Thane?"

"I confess, I have not," he answered.

"It's not something I'd recommend waking up to. Sort of like when they yell, but with more of them, in unison, trying to yell in tune." Thane grimaced, and Shepard chuckled again, "Exactly."

"I should play you some Hanar music sometime, Siha," he said, "It is far more… polite." She looked shocked for a moment, then broke into a smile and pushed playfully at his arm,

"Was that a joke, Thane?" He said nothing, but faced forward, a smile playing across his lips, and betraying the humor in his attitude. He liked speaking with Shepard like this, relaxed, happy. He would have to find more opportunities to do so.

Before he could begin to formulate a plan for how to create more occasions for banter, they arrived at the lower level of the ship. Jack was there, pacing and raring to go, wearing her usual cargo pants and the three leather straps over her chest that apparently passed for a "shirt". Drell had little compunction when it came to nakedness - Hanar did not wear anything - or clothing – they didn't judge others by what they wore – and so Thane had not previously noted Jack's particular brand of style. This time, however, he found himself looking at her out of the corner of his eye as they boarded the shuttle, particularly at her chest.

Drell women did not have breasts. Drell were born able to consume solid food, or ground up versions thereof, and so nipples and mammary glands were a foreign concept to him. He had never really given them a second thought before, but now that his dreams were full of Shepard, and the drive to get her naked and on top of him, he found himself more curious. What would they feel like? What did they look like uncovered? Would Shepard's resemble Jack's? What was he expected to do to them, if anything? Fortunately for him, he was stealthy enough in his puzzlement that Jack did not catch him staring, or he suspected that he would be walking with a limp for several days thereafter. He made a mental note to look this up on the extranet. Hopefully he'd be able to find useful information, and not just pornography.

His musings were cut short by the shuttle's takeoff, and Shepard began to explain what they were going down to the surface for. It seemed some mercenaries had taken over an archaeological dig site. They were going to go investigate and, hopefully, save any scientists who were left. He spent the rest of the ride down in silence, listening to Jack telling Shepard about a time she'd been on a pirate ship, and had killed half of the crew when she found out that they had been planning to turn her in to Cerberus. It was mildly disturbing, the glee Jack took in describing how one young man had screamed while she threw him into the ship's reactor core, but he chose not to react. It wasn't too long before they were at the landing zone, and there was no more time for talk.


	8. Chapter 8

Sure enough, mercenaries had invaded the dig site they had landed at, no doubt looking for something worth a hefty sum that they could steal and make a profit with, not caring about the lives that they took in the process. Moments after exiting the shuttle, a human in full Blue Suns uniform emerged from the mine shaft that led down into the caverns where the artifact had been found, and all hell broke loose. The merc radioed back to his associates in the caves, and mercenaries started pouring out from the door.

"Get down!" came Shepard's voice over the radio. Thane was already behind an outcropping of rock, and Jack dove behind a shipping crate.

"I'll rip you apart!" came Jack's yell, and a shockwave tore through the mercenary forces. Thane popped his head around the rock and shot one merc square in the forehead with his rifle before blasting another with a warp field. Shepard was, of course, also holding up her own side of the battle. A mercenary lieutenant had his barrier taken down by her biotics just before Thane delivered a shot to his chest, sending him reeling backwards. Jack took down another merc with a well-timed warp field, and Thane used his submachine gun to bring down a fourth. With only two opponents left, Shepard brought out her most devastating ability, a biotic charge that brought her up close and personal to the enemy, hurtling them backwards and bringing her in for a kill with her shotgun. The first time Thane had seen her do this, he had almost cried out to their other teammate that she was in trouble, but he had quickly learned that it was whoever Shepard was coming up against that was in trouble when this happened. It still took his breath away, though, whenever she charged headlong into enemy ranks. This time was no different. Shepard blazed forward with lightning speed and knocked the man back, then brought up her shotgun and hit him with incendiary rounds. Thane lined up hit own shot and took out the last mercenary, then stepped out from behind the rock.

"Woo! Yeah, take that you slimy bastards!" Jack yelled, punching the air with her fist. Shepard grinned at Thane, and he gave her a small smile back. It wasn't over yet, though.

"Okay Jack, that's enough yelling," Shepard said, "Let's get down into those caves and see what these mercs were so intent on keeping for themselves." She turned back to the door the mercenaries had emerged from. Jack stuck her middle finger up at the commander's back; a gesture Thane had learned meant "fuck you", presumably for spoiling her celebration. Thane wasn't worried, however. Jack might not respect authority, but she respected Shepard. She may gripe about being ordered around, but he knew that every member of the crew had Shepard's back. He shook his head at Jack, who turned the gesture on him, then headed after the commander.

The caves were filled with more mercenaries, and the trio started taking them out with their combined biotics and firepower. The first room they fought through easily, and into the second. Once again, Shepard threw herself into the brunt of the fighting, charging at an unshielded mercenary with her shotgun in hand, but this time something else happened. The mercenary who she hit went flying backwards, hitting a large canister filled with fuel. Before Thane could call out a warning, she fired at the downed man, and the pressurized canister exploded, sending Shepard stumbling backwards and taking down her shields. Suddenly exposed to enemy gunfire, she dove behind the nearest pile of rocks, right next to where another mercenary had taken cover. Thane could see the entire situation unfolding, helpless from his position, pinned down by a mercenary with an assault rifle. It seemed to be happening in slow motion; Shepard's look of chagrin and anger at having dove into cover right next to an enemy, the mercenary's surprise and shock at her sudden appearance.

"Cover me!" Thane shouted at Jack, who turned with lightning fast reflexes and sent a shockwave hurtling at the mercenary who had pinned him down. He rocketed out of cover, ignoring the screaming of his lungs as he pushed himself to move faster. He reached an open line of fire just as the mercenary was raising his pistol to point at the commander's forehead. Shepard was desperately reloading her own gun. Thane had his own rifle out as he ran, aiming at the man's head. He was about to fire when BLAM, a gun went off. Shepard had reloaded before the merc had even aimed, and now the man lay on the floor of the cavern, his head blown off by the powerful shotgun round. Thane was stunned and relieved at the same time, but quickly ducked back down behind another outcropping before the last two mercs turned their guns on him. What the hell had he been thinking? What would he have done, dive in front of the bullets? He cursed himself for being so stupid while simultaneously shooting the last mercenary through the back of his head while the young man squatted in what he must have believed to be a covered position. They all stepped out from cover.

"What the hell was that, Thane?" Jack yelled at him, "And Shepard, you idiot! Check your cover before you dive right in! You're both fucking idiots! What am I supposed to be here, a babysitter?" Thane cringed. She was right, he had been massively stupid.

"Calm down, Jack," Shepard said, "I'm fine, Thane's fine, we're all fine." Thane inclined his head.

"I wish to apologize. I did not think," He said. Shepard turned and gave him a wry smile,

"That makes two of us."

"Gah!" Jack threw her hands up and stormed off towards the interior cavern, "You people make me sick!" Shepard smiled and shook her head, then turned back to Thane.

"What were you going to do, jump on him?" she asked. Thane returned her sardonic grin with an embarrassed smile of his own,

"Perhaps. I… wasn't really thinking beyond the moment. That was foolish of me, Siha. I'm sorry. I should have been faster with my rifle, you wouldn't have-" Shepard cut him off, holding her finger to his lips to silence him,

"I shouldn't have shot an explosive container. No playing hero, okay? I can take care of myself." She wasn't angry, as far as he could tell. She seemed to be amused, even, though he was unsure as to why. He decided not to question it, instead leaning forward ever so slightly, and kissing the tip of her finger lightly where it hovered in front of his lips. Her eyes widened in shock, then the corners of her mouth turned up and she shook her head. "You're too distracting for your own good," she said, "Come on, let's go and find Jack before she terrifies the next group of mercs to death and doesn't leave any for us." She stopped briefly and picked up a PDA, reading it for a moment, then saying "Looks like we found out where the Blue Suns came from. Some poor ship's out there thinking they've hired a mercenary group for protection, while what they've really done is sign their own death warrants. We'll check out this MSV Strontium Mule once we're done here." Thane nodded his assent, and then Shepard gestured for him to take point.

They jogged together into the inner cavern, and found Jack standing in front of a Prothean pyramid. It was a breathtaking piece of history, and remarkably well preserved considering its age. Thane had always appreciated the clean lines in Prothean design, and this was no exception. In front of the pyramid was a console with the most important part of the archaeological find, a Prothean video log. Jack was pressing buttons on the console to decode the static, but so far without luck.

"Here, let me try," Shepard said, and stepped up to the structure, her Omni-tool ready. The moment she waved the interface over the video log, her body went rigid.

"What the hell!" Jack exclaimed, grabbing the commander's arm and shaking it in a futile attempt to rouse her. Shepard's eyes were moving rapidly back and forth, as if seeing things that were not there. Thane held out a hand to stop Jack.

"I believe she is having a vision," he said, "like the one given to her by the Prothean beacon back on Eden Prime." Jack shrugged, as if she couldn't care less, most likely to cover up her frightened reaction to the commander's sudden catatonia.

"I hope it's a fast vision," she said. Just as she finished rolling her eyes, Shepard snapped out of whatever had a hold on her, pulling a hand to her forehead as though it pained her. Thane moved swiftly to her side.

"Are you alright, Siha?" he asked, "Do you need to sit for a moment?" Jack made a noise somewhere between a cough and a laugh, and started walking back the way they had come. Shepard shook her head slowly, as if trying to shake the vision from it, then spoke,

"No, I'm okay. It was the same vision that the beacon back on Eden Prime showed me, but the end was different. There was… I think I saw a Collector." Thane cocked his head,

"Interesting. Perhaps more proof that they are agents of the Reapers." Shepard shook her head,

"No, it wasn't… it looked like it was in pain…" She trailed off and was silent for a moment, then shook her head a final time and started off after Jack. "Come on, let's get back to the shuttle. We have to go find the ship that led the mercenaries here, see if there's anyone left alive on board who isn't part of the Blue Suns." Thane followed her, mulling over the evening's events. It had been different, being out with Shepard now that they had both professed their feelings for one another, and he would have to watch himself to ensure that he did not act rashly in some foolish attempt to protect her, but overall he felt… good. For the first time in a very long while, he looked forward to the future.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks for the reviews, reviewers! And thank you to everyone for reading. Hope you enjoy!_

"I'm not sure that I understand," Thane said, "You take these mammals and extract the fluid they produce to feed their young. You then extract the fat from this fluid, and agitate it until it congeals, at which point you spread it on bread?" He was speaking to Kasumi Goto over breakfast, eating his own bowl of fruit while she munched on a piece of toast.

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds disgusting, yes, but it's good! Toast just isn't right without butter," she said. Thane shook his head. There were some things that he would never understand about other races, and human food was looking to be one of them. He had thought, initially, that their diets were fairly similar; meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, but then he had seen some crew members pouring a white liquid onto the cereal they often ate for the first meal of the day, and had asked what it was. The more he learned about milk, the more he decided that he was glad Drell didn't produce it.

"If you think that's bad, you should ask Miranda about her favorite cheese," Garrus piped up, "They take milk, then let it curdle, squish all of the curds together, and wait for it to get full of mold before eating it." The Turian gave an exaggerated shudder of disgust.

"Most species have different eating habits, tastes," said Mordin. The Salarian doctor was an endless source of logical information with little tact, a fact that Thane had learned entertained most of the crew to no end. "Humans find Salarian dishes containing insects repulsive, Turian fondness for raw meat disgusting. Fortunate that Normandy has supplies for most tastes and chiralities." Murmurs of agreement were voiced by most of the crew present.

"I'll stick to my toast," said Kasumi, taking another bite of the crunchy, cow-fluid-fat covered bread. Thane turned his attention back to his own meal. It was nice, to have so many other people present, talking and joking in this familiar way. He may not always be at the centre of the liveliest conversations, but he appreciated the camaraderie. Much of his life had been spent alone, out on assignments and contracts, or training to keep his body in peak condition. This friendly interaction was new to him, but he found himself enjoying it, even if it might be from the fringes.

The breakfast shift ended, and crew members went off to their own stations and posts. Meals were eaten in shifts, coinciding with who was on what rotation, so that the Mess was never filled beyond capacity, and so that people on night shift rotations weren't expected to eat breakfast when they were going to sleep for the day. Thane was impressed by the efficiency of the ship. He would have expected this sort of discipline in a military vessel, but Cerberus was composed mostly of civilians, so the competence of the crew and the scheduling spoke highly to Shepard's ability to command. He was in danger of getting lost in thought about the commander when Mordin approached him, and pulled him off to the side.

"Thane, would like to speak with you," he said, his words the usual fast and clipped, as though he was always in a rush to finish what he was saying and get on to the next thought, "Come by the lab when you have a moment. Important things to discuss."

"Of course, doctor," said Thane, "I'll be up in a few minutes." Mordin nodded, and then hurried off in the direction of the elevators. Thane was curious. What could the doctor have to discuss with him that was important? It couldn't have anything to do with his Kepral's Syndrome – that was Dr. Chakwas's area of expertise – and Thane didn't have any knowledge that would be helpful to a biologist, at least none that he knew of. His interest piqued, he hurried to his quarters in life support to get his morning exercises done before going to see Mordin.

These exercises were an important part of his treatment for the disease that slowly was removing his body's ability to process oxygen. In order to keep his lungs working as long as possible, he had a set workout every day, sometimes more than once if he didn't get out on a mission. He removed the leather jacket-shirt that he wore, draping it over the back of the room's chair, leaving himself in nothing but the close-fitting pants he customarily wore. His clothing was not just an aesthetic choice. The shirt and jacket, combined into one piece, had a variety of clips and holsters for various weapons and implements. The front of his shirt bared his chest between the pectoral muscles, allowing him easier breathing. The pants were tight to prevent them from getting caught on anything when he shimmied through ductwork or slipped into locked rooms. Even the color was chosen with a specific intent, dark like the shadows, allowing him the blend into the darkness. He did admit, however, that the collar on the coat was a concession to style, but he couldn't be blamed for wanting to look his best. He knelt on the floor, and prepared himself for his exercise routine.

It began with stretching slowly, is body sliding into various positions, gracefully moving from one to another. As he continued, his pace quickened, each pose coming faster, straining his muscles and lungs more. If he had been human, he would have been slick with sweat, but Drell didn't sweat. Having evolved on a desert planet, sweating was a waste of water unaffordable when it wasn't always certain when more water would be available to replace what was lost. While this meant that Drell couldn't regulate their body temperature in the same way as humans or Asari, it suited Thane just fine. He liked warmth, also something stemming from his ancestors' desert-dwelling lifestyles, and he didn't begin to smell strongly when anxious or exerting himself. This was especially valuable in the life of an assassin, as scent could give him away just as much as sound or sight. He felt his lungs complaining at the paces he was putting them through, but ignored his body's protesting. Several months ago, these exercises had been easier on him, and he knew that he had to work to make sure they didn't get harder any faster than they already were.

Knowing that he was dying was a part of his life, now. When he had first been diagnosed, two years previously, with the disease that threatened every Drell who lived on Kahje, a planet so opposite from the desert they had come from, he had been both angry and relieved. His anger was at the unfairness of his situation, an immature reaction that he had quickly moved beyond. Relief had come from the knowledge that he wouldn't have to live for too much longer in a world where he had no one. It was different now, though. He was no longer alone, and reflecting on the short amount of time that he had left made him melancholy. He pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on his breathing and the movement of each limb, each muscle. He finished the final poses, resisting the urge to rush in order to see Mordin sooner, and straightened up. One last centering breath, a moment to just breathe in and out steadily, and he was done. He grabbed his shirt, pulling it on and heading for the elevator. He had to know what the mad Salarian was up to.


	10. Chapter 10

_I'm so glad people are enjoying the story! I had fun writing this next part, hope you like it!_

Mordin's lab was a haphazard jumble of technology and samples. It wasn't that it was messy – Thane suspected Mordin did not hold with disorganisation – but there were just so many… things. Everywhere. Every surface was covered with gadgets and equipment, and there was even a jar that contained what looked suspiciously like some sort of insect eggs. He decided that he'd rather not know what kind of bugs Mordin was cultivating, recalling the earlier discussion about eating habits. The Salarian turned upon the door opening, and he greeted Thane,

"Ah, excellent, Thane. Wanted to speak with you. Have noticed your, ah, interest in Commander Shepard. Wanted to ensure proper health and safety measures are put into effect, in event of physical intimacy." If Thane had been any other man, he might have choked at Mordin's frankness. As such, he merely raised his brow slightly in surprise.

"I did not realise there were precautions necessary, doctor," he said, "I could simply perform some… research on the extranet and-" Mordin cut him off.

"No no no, extranet not useful. Too much irrelevant data, erroneous information. I have prepared several documents-" Thane was concerned now – how many documents worth of health and safety information could there be? "-and am forwarding them to your Omni-tool. Also, including information on human sexual anatomy, erogenous zones, preferences, and positions. Should be enough to get you started." Thane was reeling, but managed a quick nod before Mordin continued, "Also, be careful with oral contact, could cause mild hallucinations for humans-" Thane cut him off,

"Hallucinations?" he asked, concerned, "Of what? Are the effects long-lasting, or-" This time Mordin interrupted him,

"Very mild, coronas around light, slight blurring of some colors. Nothing to be concerned about. Also, advise use of antihistamines for Shepard, prevent rash from skin-to-skin contact that may occur first time or so." Thane managed to stammer out a reponse.

"I… thank you, Doctor Solus," he said. Mordin waved a hand, dismissing his thanks.

"No trouble, happy to help. Just want to make sure crew is safe, optimal for mission. Shepard could use stress relief, good for her health." Thane turned to leave, unsure of what else to say, when Mordin added one last thing, "Oh, and Thane?" he turned back,

"Yes, Mordin?"

"Have fun." The Salarian winked, and Thane nearly had a stroke. Mordin smiled in a way that almost seemed fatherly, and a stunned Thane nodded his thanks again, and walked back out of the lab and towards the elevator. That had been unpleasant, to say the least. The only thing that he could hope was that Shepard hadn't heard any of it. He didn't want her to think that he viewed their relationship from a purely physical perspective. Passing back through navigation, he spotted Shepard heading his way. He gave her a small smile, and she returned it with one of her own, a genuine expression that made her beautiful eyes light up.

"Hey Thane," she said, "Everything okay?" Her concern touched him.

"Yes, Siha," he answered, "Everything is fine. I was just speaking with doctor Solus about a… private matter." A very private matter, he added in his head. She nodded, and placed a hand on his arm. The sudden contact surprised him, and he was moved by the intimacy of it. His warrior angel cared for him. He still almost couldn't believe it.

"Okay, just let me know if there's something going on with your health, got it?" He nodded his assent. "Oh, and Thane?"

"Yes?"

"Are you free for dinner tonight? I'd love if you could join me in my quarters around 19:00." He tried not to betray his sudden flare of joy at the mischievous tone to her voice. Whatever she had planned, he had the feeling it would not be something he would soon forget.

"Of course, Siha. I would be delighted to join you for dinner," he answered. Her responding smile was like a ray of sunshine.

"Great," she said, "I'll see you then. Now, if you'll excuse me, Mordin said he wanted to talk to me about something." She walked off to the tech lab before Thane could recover and stop her. He was rooted to the spot, mortification spreading through his body.

"Are you all right, Thane?" Yeoman Chambers asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost." Thane fumbled for a moment, unable to come up with the right words, then gave up and simply turned and headed to the elevator, leaving Kelly Chambers standing with a puzzled look on her face. He escaped into the small space and pressed the button for the crew deck. He may not be able to prevent Shepard from facing a similar conversation as he'd just had with Mordin, but there was nothing that could make him wait around in navigation to face her when she came out from that lab. He leaned his head against the cool wall paneling.

"Damn you, Mordin," he whispered to himself.


	11. Chapter 11

_Here's the new chapter! I hope you all enjoy, and thank you so much to everyone who wrote reviews! I'm writing like a mad woman to make sure I can keep updating often._

The files that Mordin had sent to Thane's Omni-tool were detailed, to say the least. Thane was fairly certain that he did not need to know about human male arousal patterns (although he noted that Drell refractory periods were significantly shorter), and he knew that he would never find a use for the facts about number of ribs or average female hair length that were now a permanent part of his memory. Still, there had been some useful information amongst the more absurd and obscure details, and he had gleaned an overall understanding of how human bodies were both similar and different to Drell.

The reading material had also piqued his curiosity about Shepard's body. From what little he had felt in their small touches and occasional light kisses, Shepard's skin was significantly softer and smoother than his own. It also felt very fragile, as though running a sharp fingernail over its surface would split it open. He knew that this was not actually the case, as had been demonstrated by the human team members' resilience in battle, but it still captivated him and made him nervous at the same time. The information about hair had also intrigued him. He had already been fascinated by this uniquely human attribute, but reading about how hair could be used during sex made it even more interesting. He knew that hair itself had no nerves, and thus could not feel pain or pleasure, but he hadn't realised that the roots were connected to thousands of nerve endings along the scalp, and that playing with or pulling on hair could produce pleasure in humans. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, imagining Shepard letting out a small moan as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

He checked his Omni-tool again. Dinner was still two hours away. Groaning, he leaned back in his chair, eyes on the ceiling as he focused on sending his mind somewhere else. Somewhere other than above Shepard, her hands grasping him and pulling him towards her as he kissed a trail down her soft, warm neck.

Thane pushed himself up out of the chair. This wasn't working. He needed to distract himself. It was bad enough that he had just read all about Shepard's body and sexual pleasure, but knowing that Mordin had likely given her similar information about him and that she was possibly reading about his own erogenous zones just made it worse. It had obviously been far too long since he'd been with a woman. Dropping to the ground, he began doing push-ups, working to take his mind off the tantalizing mental image of Shepard knowing all the right places to touch and tease him. He huffed as he dropped to the ground and pushed himself up, quickly falling into a fast rhythm that, while not overly strenuous, had him breathing heavily. It worked, at first, but then the rhythm got him thinking about another sort of rhythm that could develop between two bodies, hips pistoning forward to bring a lover to her peak. He stopped doing push-ups and switched to crunches, but that just made him painfully aware of the bulge in the front of his pants. Sighing, he lay flat on his back, and began practicing meditation breathing techniques. Breathe in… 2, 3, 4, breathe out… 2, 3, 4… This pattern repeated, slowly calming his mind and bringing him to a peaceful, trancelike state. It wasn't long before he started to drift off, slowly easing his way into sleep.

Once again, he dreamed of Shepard, but this time it wasn't the intense dreams about kissing her that he had been having, but something far worse. He was tied to a chair, naked, unable to move. Shepard stood in front of him, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"Not so stealthy when you're all tied up, are you assassin?" she said, and ran her fingers up across his torso, her nails scraping lightly in a path from his abdomen to his collarbone. He tried to maintain a tranquil pattern of breathing, to keep his body calm, but when her fingernails reached the sensitive folds on either side of his neck, the spike of arousal was too intense, and he felt himself getting hard. He didn't like being restrained; unable to defend himself, or touch her for that matter, but his body didn't seem to mind. Shepard obviously noticed it too. "Well, seems like you're enjoying yourself," she laughed, cold and mocking, "Maybe I can get what I'm after without having to resort to more… unpleasant methods." Her eyes flicked over to a wall nearby. Thane followed her gaze, and found himself staring at an array of implements more commonplace in a dungeon than a bedroom.

"What are you doing, Siha?" he asked. Now he was just confused. That confusion quickly turned to alarm when the next sentence passed Shepard's lips,

"You think you can just waltz onto my ship and try to kill me? I'm going to find out who sent you. We can do it the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice." Thane began struggling in earnest against the bindings on his wrists.

"I haven't tried to kill you, Shepard. I would never harm you," he said while simultaneously trying to work his hand through the loop of rope behind his back. Shepard made that same cold, hard laugh,

"Okay, hard way it is," she said, and reached over to grab some sort of device that, when she flicked the on switch, arced with electricity. Thane's eyes widened, and he began to thrash, desperate to get free and stop her, desperate to figure out what was going on. Shepard's eyes lit with heartless glee as she brought the instrument closer to his chest, and a spike of current jumped to Thane's skin, causing his muscles to tighten painfully. Any initial arousal that he had felt was gone, replaced by pain and horror. She smiled, and brought the device in for another shock, and Thane jumped, his eyes opening suddenly.

He was lying on the floor in Life Support, and he couldn't breathe. A cough racked his chest, and he pulled himself up into a sitting position, struggling to pull in enough air. He didn't know if the dream had brought on the sudden shortness of breath caused occasionally by Kepral's Syndrome, or if the shortness of breath had brought on the unpleasant dream, but regardless, there was a terrifying moment between coughing out one lungful of air and pulling in the next where he wasn't sure if he'd be able to draw another breath.

Understanding that panic only made his symptoms worse, he quickly fell back on his training as an assassin, and the variety of techniques he knew for calming both mind and body. It was difficult at first, but the frantic thudding of his heart gradually slowed and his breathing returned to a regular pace. Fortunately, although his Kepral's Syndrome was fairly advanced, these attacks were still few and far between. Most of his symptoms were of a milder, everyday variety, and were manageable with exercise and treatment. EDI's voice suddenly came over the comm.

"Are you alright, Thane?" the ship's AI asked, "The Normandy's internal systems showed that you had an elevated heart rate and decreased breathing. I was not certain if you would wish for me to contact Doctor Chakwas, as I could see that you were attempting to manage the problem on your own." Thane took a moment before answering. He was not pleased that he must have missed a camera hidden in Life Support if EDI could still see him, but he would be able to search his makeshift quarters again – he looked at the time on his Omni-tool – after dinner with Shepard.

"Thank you, EDI," he said, "But I'm fine now. Would you please tell Commander Shepard that I will be at her quarters by 19:05." It was still only 18:50, but he needed a few minutes to catch his breath and recover from the dream. EDI replied in the affirmative, and Thane was again left alone.

He was not the sort of man to be nervous around a woman, but Shepard put him off-centre on a good day, and the dream had only served to magnify that anxiety. He tried to reason with himself, the sensible part of his brain informing the less-rational parts of him that there was nothing to be concerned with, and that this was the same Shepard with whom he had spoken and dined alongside dozens of times before. While it may have been marginally effective, he still found himself needing to slow his breathing and calm down when he stepped into the elevator several minutes later. Whatever Shepard had in store for him, he only hoped that it would go more smoothly than his dreams through the past week, or Doctor Chakwas might find herself having to perform an autopsy on him instead of her usual Kepral's Syndrome treatments. As the doors closed in front of him, he sent a silent prayer to Arashu, and added an extra line to the end of the traditional supplication,

"And please, Arashu," he said, "Help me to not make a complete fool of myself tonight."


	12. Chapter 12

_New Chapter! Hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews!_

The door to Shepard's cabin slid open, and her smiling face greeted Thane when he entered. She was dressed in the usual outfit that she wore when not in battle, black pants, white and black shirt, combat boots. While some men might have wanted to see her in something softer, more feminine, he liked this ensemble on her. This was Shepard as herself, not trying to change to fit some sort of arbitrary social protocol of dressing for a dinner with a romantic partner, or whatever he was to her. He was glad that she had not worn something more extravagant, as his very limited supply of clothing restricted him to his usual leathers in black, in grey, in navy, or his sleep clothing, or "PJs" as Kasumi had referred to them as. Another human phrase he'd had to look up on the extranet. After being very confused by Jack asking him if something called a bear defecated in the woods, he had simply downloaded a guide to human expressions to his Omni-tool, and kept it handy for future reference.

"Hey Thane," she said, standing to one side and gesturing that he should enter, "Come on in." Her tone was playful, and Thane felt a smile dancing on the corners of his mouth. He definitely hadn't smiled this much in a very long time; possibly ever. The door slid closed behind him, and he took in the commander's quarters. They were very nice, as far as military living quarters went, and had obviously been designed by Cerberus and not the Alliance. He doubted that the original Normandy would have had anything so spacious for its commanding officer. A glass case separated the office space from the bedroom, and it was filled with model ships. The corner of Thane's mouth quirked up. Who would have guessed? Of all things, Shepard collected model ships. The wall to his left was dominated by a softly glowing fish tank, strangely devoid of any actual inhabitants.

"No fish?" he asked, and Shepard gave him a sheepish smile.

"I just keep killing them," she said, "Between being away from the ship all the time, and just forgetting to feed them when I am here, they don't stand a chance. There's actually one store on the Citadel that flat out refuses to sell me any more fish. They know it's just a senseless waste of life." Her smile betrayed her amusement, and Thane fought the urge to kiss her. He had only just entered her quarters, and whatever they had was still very new; he didn't want her to misunderstand his intentions and think he was only there for physical reasons.

"I believe that you asked me here for dinner?" he said, distracting himself from the endearing way that her nose wrinkled when she grinned. He was rewarded with another smile, this one coy, and she took his hand, leading him to the low table just beyond her desk. There were several dishes of food sitting on it, and two plates. Also present was a bottle of something, and two wine glasses. "What are we having?" he asked. A faintly guilty look crossed Shepard's face before she answered.

"Well, we're having whatever Rupert made us. I… don't really cook much. Aside from pasta, and eggs… and toast. I'm pretty good at toast." A full-fledged smile broke out on Thane's face, and Shepard reached her hand out to caress his cheek.

"I like it when you smile," she said, and ran the soft pad of her thumb along his cheekbone, making his heart pick up speed.

"I'll try to do so more often, then," he said, and she shook her head at him, chuckling. Still holding hands – a fact that he was enjoying more than he let on – they sat at the table, both along the same side of the large square, much like when they sat next to each other in the Mess. The food was also very familiar; the exact same thing that was on the menu for the rest of the crew, in fact, but Thane was there for the company, not the food.

They chatted while they ate, Shepard telling him about what Earth had been like growing up there, and he telling her about Kahje. He noticed that she skimmed over some of the details of her childhood, but he knew well enough that she would share those things when she was ready. Growing up on the streets of earth couldn't have been easy, and it spoke to Shepard's strength of will and character that she had made a good life for herself after such difficult beginnings. As they finished their meal, their conversation turned to the coming invasion by the Reapers. Thane knew that Shepard was frustrated by the Council's staunch refusal to believe her, to acknowledge that a race of impossibly powerful sentient machines were, at that very moment, heading towards the galaxy with the sole purpose of eliminating organic life. He could also understand the Council's sightlessness. Some people, such as himself, Shepard, and the rest of her team, could handle the sort of information that they had, others couldn't. It was a self-defence mechanism, defending their own sanity, that people dismissed the attack on the Citadel two years previous as an anomalous event, perpetrated by Saren and the synthetic Geth, and the corpse of the Reaper Sovereign as simply wreckage of a Geth dreadnaught. That did not, however, make it any less exasperating for those who knew the truth.

"I just wanted to slug one of them," Shepard was saying about the Council, "After everything that I did, they were just ignoring me. No, worse, they were suggesting I was delusional. They used air quotes, for god's sake!" She sighed, and Thane reached out, placing a hand around her shoulders in a gesture of comfort. She looked up at him with a sad smile, and then leaned over. He suddenly found himself sitting with Shepard resting against his shoulder, her breath gusting lightly over his chest. He dared not move, afraid to break whatever spell had somehow delivered this warrior angel to his arms. She sighed lightly.

"Relax, Thane," she said, "You're thinking way too much right now." He opened his mouth to speak,

"Siha, I-" she cut him off by raising her finger to press against his lips, and swung her legs around, so that she was all but seated in his lap.

"Just enjoy the moment," she said, and then she completely threw him off guard by nestling her head into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Her face was tantalisingly close to the sensitive frills on his throat, and he almost had to bite back a groan. He turned his neck, pressing his lips to the top of her head and inhaling deeply. She smelled wonderful, her hair was fragrant and floral, and felt like silk under his lips. Tentatively, he reached a hand up and placed it on the back of her head, gently stroking his fingers down the orange-red tresses, marveling at the way that her breathing slowed and her body relaxed against him. Trying to take her advice, he willed his body to relax and "just enjoy the moment". It worked, at first, the soft sound of Shepard's breathing was soothing, and he relished the sensation of running his fingers through and around and between the strands of her hair.


	13. Chapter 13

_This chapter's a little longer, mostly because I didn't want to split it up and leave you all hanging! WARNING: Adult sexual situations to follow. Don't say I didn't warn you. I hope you all enjoy! Reviews keep me inspired!_

The calm between them was suddenly broken when Shepard tilted her head up, and gently pressed a kiss against his throat. Desire flared to life in him, and he turned his head so that his lips met hers. The kiss was relatively chaste at first, a tentative touch, each tasting the other, but it quickly became more heated. His tongue tangled with hers, and she moved from being seated next to him with her legs across his lap to straddling his thighs, his arms around her and her hands on the back of his head.

"Mmm," Thane rumbled deep in his chest, and he pulled his lips from hers to begin trailing kisses down her neck. She leaned her head back, allowing him easier access, and continued to run her hands over his scalp, nails scratching ever so lightly in a way that set his nerves on fire. He allowed his hands to leave her back, and slid one up her side, pulling her shirt up as he went. She obviously guessed his intent, and took it as an invitation. One of her hands pulled forward, and performed the same light scraping that it had done over his head, but this time over his throat frills, followed closely by her mouth, kissing and licking at his sensitized skin. He groaned, tightening his hold on her and breaking off his trail of kisses to tug more earnestly at her shirt.

She broke away from him for just long enough to pull the garment over her head, and then leaned back in to recapture his lips, her fingers working at the buckles and zipper on his own jacket. Thane's hands ran up her back, then stilled when they reached the strap that ran around from the piece of clothing covering her breasts. Following the band around to its origin, he brought one hand hesitantly to her breast, cupping it ever so lightly. Shepard made a noise of pleasure in the back of her throat, and Thane felt the blood rushing from his head to his groin when she arched her back, pushing herself firmly into his hand. Emboldened by her response, he brushed his fingers over the soft mound, doing his best to avoid analysing this first experience with human anatomy. Unfortunately, his uncertainty must have been obvious to Shepard, as she pulled back from him again, a questioning look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Siha," he said in answer to her unspoken question, "I just… I'm unfamiliar with some aspects of human mating behavior." She smiled at him, her cheeks flushed, and wiggled her hips against his growing hardness, nearly making his eyes cross.

"You don't seem too confused," she purred. Another rumble sounded from his chest as he shifted his hips under her. "Didn't Mordin send you a whole bunch of information, too?" He stilled, and a small laugh slipped past her lips. Damn that Salarian doctor! Thankfully, Shepard took pity on him, and spoke in answer to her own question. "I certainly learned a few new things." Her tone was mischievous, and Thane waited anxiously for her to continue.

"For one," she said, "I found out that Drell have a very different response than humans to something like this." She leaned in again and ran the point of her tongue along the seam between two frills on his throat. He gasped, and tightened his hands where they had been resting on her hips.

"Ah, Siha…" he moaned as she continued to kiss and nibble along his throat. It was all he could do not to flip her over and strip off the rest of her clothes – it had been far too long since he had been with a woman – but he had promised himself to take things slowly, _and I will do just that_, he thought. She hummed softly against his neck, the vibrations causing his hips to twitch forward. _Even if it kills me_, he added in his mind. Shepard giggled at his response, and he felt himself smile at the playful noise.

_Very well, _he said to himself, _two can play at this game._ Encouraged by her persistence, he moved his hand back to her breast, and massaged it lightly through the fabric of her undergarment. He was rewarded with another hum against his jaw, and reached his other hand around her back, to where the clasp of the piece of clothing was. He may not have had any prior experience with removing the garment that covered her breasts, but he wasn't a master assassin without reason, and he quickly figured out the quick pinch and flick motion that caused the strap to release. Shepard removed her arms from around him for a moment, and pulled off the undergarment, tossing it aside before returning her hands to his shoulders and her lips back to his mouth.

Kissing her almost frantically, Thane kept one hand tangled in her hair while allowing the other to explore the soft, pale expanse of skin revealed to him. He brushed his fingers lightly over her incredibly soft skin, and back to the mound of her breast. He wasn't sure what he had expected them to feel like in his hands, but it was firm yet giving, and covered with that same impossibly smooth skin. He ran his fingers over the small bud that he knew was her nipple, and felt it tighten in response. Encouraged, he flicked his finger over the raised flesh, and Shepard's breath hitched in her throat. They both stilled for a brief second, and then Thane was on his feet, his hands holding her legs around his waist as their mouths moved against each other violently.

Shepard's weight was negligible for his strong arms, and he walked briskly to the foot of her bed, their lips not parting until she fell back onto the mattress. He tugged off his jacket in one smooth movement, and then was on top of her, his mouth continuing to explore where his hands had left off.

"Thane!" she gasped as his tongue rasped over the nipple he had not yet paid attention to. A purely masculine grin spread across his face, even as he pressed his hips into the mattress. It was good to know that she was as affected as he. His moment of clear thought was quickly lost, however, when Shepard grabbed his shoulders and, in one swift move, flipped them both over, so that she now sat straddling him. He grasped her hips with both hands, grinding the evidence of his arousal against her, and she let out another hum of approval, then dipped down to his chest, mirroring the position that they had been in moments before. She kissed her way down his front, the silkiness of her lips teasing him, and then paused at his pectoral muscles.

"Huh," she said, "No nipples." It took Thane's lust-addled brain a moment to figure out what she meant, but he realised that she was commenting on a difference between him and human males.

"No, Siha," he said, "Drell don't have-ah!" his words cut off in a strangled sound as she brushed her lips over the frills that started just above his hips on either side and continued down below the top of his pants.

"Less talking," she said, and moved her hand over to the bulge in his pants where his erection throbbed insistently. He couldn't stop himself from pressing up into her touch. His dreams were nothing compared to the reality of being under her. It was too much for him to take, and he grabbed hold of her arms again, flipping them for a second time so that he was back on top.

With dexterity born of years of hacking locked doors, firing sniper rifles, and grappling in hand-to-hand combat, he swiftly undid the button and zipper on her pants, and she held her hips up while helping him to push the clothing down over her legs and remove her socks. He tossed the pants aside, not bothering to watch where they landed, too busy exploring the new areas of skin exposed to him. He planted a testing kiss against the inside of her thigh, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her at the same time, and revelled in the way that her head thrashed to the side and her hips lifted as if trying to meet him.

"Thane, please…" she keened, and another smug smile lit his face.

"Less talking," he said, echoing her earlier words. She groaned, and clutched handfuls of sheet as he pulled away the last bit of fabric remaining between him and her naked body. There was a moment of curiosity when he discovered the strip of hair covering her mound, but he didn't hold on to the thought for long. He reached a hand up and brushed it softly over the pink, slightly swollen folds that her underwear had been hiding, and her hips again bucked forward, causing a resonating response in him as his own hips pressed into the mattress. Another, less timid touch caused her to moan again, and he gained confidence. Humans weren't terribly different from Drell in this respect, although there was a tad more lubrication than he was used to, but that just increased his anticipation. He leaned forward and swept his tongue along her crease, and then sucked gently at her clitoris.

"Ah, Thane…" Shepard breathed, one of her hands still clutching at the sheet while the other stroked the top of his head. He continued to flick the end of his tongue over the swollen nub that was the centre of her pleasure, and her cries quickly became louder and more insistent, her hips rising and falling in a rhythm that he matched with each deft stroke of his tongue. He brought his hand up from where it had been stroking himself through his pants to her warm opening, and gently pushed his middle finger inside. They both groaned, Shepard from the pleasure, and Thane from the thought of pushing another part of himself into her. He ignored his own body's insistence at release, however; something that he had been trained to do, albeit for a very different purpose. He pumped his fingers inside of her, pulling up and towards himself to put pressure on the sensitive spot he had learned about in his earlier reading, all while continuing his ministrations on her clitoris. It wasn't very long before Shepard's body went suddenly rigid, a loud moan tearing from her throat, and he felt her body convulse around his fingers as she called out his name. His other hand gripped the sheets tightly as he fought for control, resisting the urge to climax with her. He didn't want to end their first sexual encounter with ejaculate in his pants.

Her body stilled and her exclamations of pleasure subsided, and Thane withdrew his finger, bringing it to his mouth and closing his eyes in ecstasy at the taste of her arousal. Shepard made another noise in the back of her throat, and then pushed Thane's shoulder, urging him onto his back.

"Your turn," she said, her voice breathy and low as she scooted herself down over him. He almost didn't believe what was happening, but quickly pushed that disbelief aside as she pulled his pants down, freeing his near-painfully hard erection. She threw his pants over with the rest of their clothing, then turned back to look at him. She made a small noise of interest, and he was about to ask if he was very different from human males when he suddenly lost all capacity for coherent thought as she swept her tongue up the length of his shaft. His hips jerked upward, completely beyond his control, and he cursed. Her tongue was so warm, and so wet, different, in a very good way, from the slightly rougher, dryer Drell tongue. He placed one hand on the back of her head, not pressing her forward, but just as some way to increase the contact between them. She swirled her tongue around his tip, and then took him entirely in her mouth.

"Siha!" he cried, "Ah, Siha," another moan left his lips as she began to move up and down, sucking ever so gently as she did so. "If you continue to –ah – to do that-" he tried to speak, but was finding it difficult to form sentences as the feeling of pleasure intensified. His arousal was so intense, fueled by Shepard's own release mere moments earlier, that he was already reaching the point of no return. "Siha, I'm not going to last much longer!" he exclaimed, his hips rising to meet her mouth as she picked up speed. He felt her pleased hum vibrating all the way down to his balls, and he was undone. With a hoarse shout, his hips bucked forward one last time, and he spilled into her mouth. Ripples of pleasure shot up his spine, and he saw stars dancing in front of his vision as she milked the last drops from him, before crawling back up the bed to lie beside him. He shifted so that his arm was around her, and pulled her close to his side, his breathing still uneven.

"Well," Shepard said with amusement, breaking the silence between them.

"Yes," he agreed, "Well, indeed." She laughed quietly, and looped her arm over his stomach.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," she said, and he smiled down at her.

"I think that I can guess," he said, and pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. She gave him a sleepy grin, and snuggled up closer to him. Silently, he sent a prayer of thanks to whatever deity had blessed him to be the one chosen by this warrior angel, and relaxed into the softness of the commander's bed.

That was the first night since Irikah's death that Thane didn't sleep alone.


	14. Chapter 14

_Hello all! Hope you liked the last chapter ;) Warning: fluff to follow! Enjoy._

Thane awoke to the sound of water running somewhere nearby. In his semi-conscious state, he was not immediately aware of where he was. As he opened his eyes, though, and saw the blue glow from the fish tank, memories of the previous night's activities came flooding towards him.

_She moans out his name, hands grasping the back of his head as he licks and sucks at her centre. His own arousal is pushed higher by her movements. She pushes her hips up towards him, seeking release._

His unbidden reverie was broken by the sound of running water coming to a halt, and moments later the bathroom door slid open, emitting a cloud of steam from within. Although the bedroom was separated from the office and bathroom areas by the cabinet full of model ships, he could see Shepard as she stepped out from the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around her head, and another towel the only thing she wore around her body. Thane propped himself up on his elbows so that it wouldn't startle her when she came to the bedroom and discovered him awake.

"Good morning, Siha," he said as she came down the steps into the bedroom. She smiled at him, and turned to the drawers hidden in the wall beside the bed, pulling out her clothing. He was struck by the familiarity of the domestic situation, and the ease with which she accepted his presence as she got ready for the day.

"I didn't want to wake you," she said while removing the towel from her head and letting her wet hair free, "You looked so peaceful." He slid off the bed, pulling his pants on as he did so, and came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck. She was damp from the shower, and her hair smelled even more wonderful than usual. Gods, but he was really starting to love this woman.

"It's very rare that someone can successfully get up and start their day without waking me," he said, still holding her against his chest, "I'm impressed." She spun away from him, but gave him another smile as she walked over to the bed carrying her clothing.

"Just because I spend most of my time charging down on mercenaries at full tilt while firing a shotgun doesn't mean I don't know how to be stealthy, too," she said, then added a quick, "Don't look," as she removed her towel. For a moment Thane thought she was serious, and moved to turn his back to give her some privacy, but her laugh made him pause. "I'm kidding, Thane," she said, "Did you really think that I'd be shy after last night?" He smiled at her, and leaned back against the wall to watch the show. She may have been soft and feminine in his arms the night before, but as she pulled on her underclothes, Thane was captivated by the wiry strength evident in the play of muscles along her arms and legs.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the sensual way that her hips wiggled as she pulled on her pants.

"Like a rock," she said, "Which is really saying something, considering how I usually wake up every few hours thinking about everything that I still need to do. You wore me out." A smug smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he responded,

"You were not the only one sleeping soundly. Although I am happy that I… wore you out so successfully." She paused for a moment to give him a smoldering look before grabbing her shirt with a laugh.

"Damn. It's too bad we have to get going. I should have woken you up and dragged you into that shower with me." Thane smiled at her,

"That wouldn't have ended well. Drell and showers don't get along very well." She raised an eyebrow in question, and Thane explained, "Well, Kepral's Syndrome aside, we come from a desert planet, originally. It's against our nature to waste water for bathing, not to mention that we don't particularly relish getting wet without reason." Shepard tried to keep her face impassive, but Thane could see the small wrinkle above her nose as she asked,

"So… you just… don't bathe?"

"Of course we do," Thane said, humor evident in his voice, "We use sand, usually, to scrub dirt off of our skin. If we're really messy, we'll suffer through a shower, but only for as long as is absolutely necessary." She didn't say anything, but pulled her shirt on over her head, and approached him. She was shorter without boots on, and he enjoyed watching the playful way her eyes lit up when she looked at him. Standing on her toes to reach, she pressed a light kiss against his lips. He returned it, matching her gentleness and not trying to push the kiss to be something more. They had things that they had to get done, and though he may not have had all the time in the world left in his life, he was content to simply live in that moment, together with Shepard for as long as she would have him. She broke the kiss after a moment, and stepped back with a small sigh.

"Better get your shirt on, Thane," she said, "We've got a Reaper IFF to go get, and I need the skills of the galaxy's best assassin by my side." He nodded his agreement, and grabbed his jacket from where it had ended up on the floor the night before. Shepard turned to grab an implement from the nightstand and ran something through her hair to pull out the tangles. He resisted the urge to help, curious as to what her hair would feel like wet, and made a promise to himself that he would find out soon enough. Pulling on his boots, he turned and walked to the door of the cabin.

"I'll see you in the Mess, Siha," he said, knowing that it wouldn't be appropriate for them to both show up for breakfast together. She turned and gave him one last smile.

"Save me a seat," she called. Thane returned her smile, and headed out to the elevator. Once the doors closed, he allowed himself a moment to breath before hitting the panel for the crew deck. He could get used to spending his mornings like this.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thanks for the reviews everyone who wrote them! I'm so glad that people are still reading. I hope you like this next chapter!_

"God damn it, Shepard!" Joker was yelling, "You were supposed to be here! What the hell were you thinking?" Thane had to resist the urge to grab the pilot by the neck and shake some respect into him. He knew that it wouldn't do any good, but watching the look of guilt on the commander's face was almost too much for him.

"Jeff, the commander could not have known that the Collectors would ambush the Normandy while she was on a mission," EDI's calm voice came through from the terminal where the AI's graphical interface was projected.

"Yeah, I know," Joker said, "I guess I just needed to get it off of my chest… again. Sorry commander." Shepard had been very quiet since they had returned to the Normandy after receiving the distress call. It had all started off like a perfectly normal mission, everyone crowding into the shuttle to get to their destination in order to allow EDI time to integrate the Reaper's Identify Friend Foe system into the Normandy. Unbeknownst to anyone, the IFF had been infected with a dual-layer virus, and while EDI had caught the first layer, the second layer had been so subtle and benign in appearance that it hadn't been noticed until it was too late. The Normandy's location had been broadcast straight to the Collectors, and the ship's defenses were shut down for just long enough for the majority of the crew to be abducted. It was only because of Joker and EDI that the Normandy was still running at all. Thane could see how guilty Shepard felt, that she was taking it to heart that it was her fault for not being there when her crew had needed her. He wanted to comfort her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her that it would be okay, but he knew that what she needed now were not meaningless platitudes, but action. He was proven right when she turned from where she had been standing, arms crossed and facing out towards the CIC, and snapped an order at Joker.

"Set a course for the Omega 4 relay. We're going after that damned ship and getting our people back, Joker." That was the first time Thane had ever seen Joker salute, as the pilot called out,

"Aye-aye, ma'am!" and limped off towards the cockpit. Various members of the team that Shepard had painstakingly put together voiced their support for her.

"You are making the right choice, Shepard," Samara said, the Asari's voiced carrying the weight of centuries of living. Garrus and Tali both just nodded, but Jack couldn't resist adding her piece.

"Let's go kick so creepy bug-alien asses!" She yelled, and Grunt joined her in shouting, "Yeah!" Even Legion, the Geth crewmember and newest addition to the team, spoke up,

"We concur that the Normandy is as prepared as possible for what may lie ahead."

"Alright, people!" Shepard said, her voice no longer unsure, now that she was determined in her conviction, "Everyone do what you've gotta do! We'll give those Collectors the fight of their lives!" The crew members split off in their own separate direction, each heading off to prepare in their own ways. Thane went silently back down to the familiarity of Life Support. He had prepared for hundreds of missions and assignments, some more dangerous than others, and he didn't see any reason to treat this one differently.

Seating himself on the floor in a traditional meditation pose, he began the prayer that he had recited countless times before.

"Amonkira, Lord of Hunters, as this one prepares for battle, grant that my hand will not falter and my heart will not fail," the first words flowed easily from his tongue, but he found himself tripping over the next part, "Grant me fearlessness in the face of death, for I know…" he couldn't continue. He had come to accept death as simply the next step for himself. He had been diagnosed with Kepral's Syndrome years ago. After Irikah had been taken from him, he had simply been waiting to follow her, but now… For the first time in years, he truly felt alive. Being with Shepard, interacting with the crew, forming bonds of friendship after being alone for such a long time, it had changed him.

He didn't know what was going on. He had never felt like this. He had never been unsure of himself before a battle, or questioned his readiness for death. Now he suddenly felt paralysed. He had only just begun to live again, and he wasn't ready for it to end. He wasn't ready to die.

The realisation hit him like a fist in the chest. After so long waiting for death, welcoming it, he wasn't ready anymore. How dare he? He had taken so much life, ruined whatever family that he'd had in Irikah and Kolyat through his own negligence, and now he wasn't willing to die? His mind filled with self-loathing. What right did he have to ask for longer? But there he was, on the proverbial eve of battle, afraid that his life may end and that his time with Shepard – his time spent truly alive – would be cut short. He was disgusted with himself, and he didn't know what to do. Thane, the cool and confident assassin, didn't know how to deal with what he was feeling. He needed help. He needed to talk to someone, to work through this and get a hold on his feelings before it affected his performance on the mission. He needed Shepard.

He was on his feet and out the door to Life Support before he even realised what he was doing. He stopped just before his hand hit the panel to call the elevator. What was he doing? Shepard had her own problems to deal with, and she didn't need him to come running to her with his issues, like the rest of the galaxy always seemed to do. It was unfair to her to expect her to be there whenever someone needed saving, and that included him. He almost turned back to go deal with his own problems alone in Life Support, when another thought stopped him. What if it wasn't him who ended up dying on this mission?

What if it was Shepard?

That thought pushed any hesitancy out of his mind. He may be ashamed of himself for fearing his own death, but fearing for Shepard's life just made him stronger. If they were going to die in a few short hours – one or both of them – then he was going to spend as much time with her as possible before then. He hit the panel for the elevator and stepped inside before he could convince himself otherwise. He didn't know what he was going to say, or if there was even anything that he could say, but he had to see her. At least once more.


	16. Chapter 16

Thane's resolve waivered as the lift stopped at the level of Shepard's cabin. The light on the outside was green, meaning that the door was not locked, and he had no doubt that EDI would have locked him out had Shepard demanded to be left in piece, but that didn't change the fact that he was unsure of how she would take his suddenly showing up unannounced. He almost resolved to go find Kasumi or Tali, or someone else less burdened with their own problems to speak with, but a flash of memory hit him.

"_Why didn't you spend more time with her?" Shepard asks, speaking of Irikah. He does not meet her eyes, not wanting her to see the pain he feels, afraid of the judgement he is sure to find there._

"_I was afraid," he answers, "Afraid of her seeing what I truly was, of bringing my work home with me… Not that it made a difference, in the end." She places a hand over his, comforting, her skin warm and welcome._

"_Do you regret not being with her when you had the chance?" Her blue-green eyes peer at him, questioning, staring into his soul. There is no judgement there, only pure friendship, comfort, and acceptance._

"_Every day." He responds._

He was not going to regret missing his chance to be with Shepard. The gods had blessed him with this second chance, and he was going to take it, suicide mission or no. He cleared his throat, and was about to press the door buzzer, when the door slid open. He suspected that EDI might have had something to do with it, but he wasn't about to question why the AI would be helping him. He had always suspected that she felt more for the Normandy's crew than she let on. He stepped into the commander's quarters.

Shepard was seated at the table in the bedroom area of her quarters, reading over something on a datapad. He felt his heart twist as she looked up and said his name, her concern for him evident in her voice.

"Siha, I-" he tried to start explaining himself, why he was there, but found the words difficult to wrap his mouth around, "I have known I will die for many years," he began pacing back and forth, not willing, or perhaps not able, to look her in the eye as he spoke what he was feeling, "I've tried to leave the galaxy better than I found it. You've helped me achieve more than I thought possible. We've righted many wrongs…" He paused, and took a brief moment to try and steady himself before continuing, "I've spoken to my son." He turned back to her, aware that his anger with himself was written on his face, "I should be at peace on the eve of battle." She was already standing, holding her hand out to his chest to halt him, moving to stand in front of him, her hand on his arm.

"Stop," she said, her voice comforting, "Don't give me a speech." Her words gave him the courage to say what felt.

"I'm ashamed," he said. She moved her hand to caress his face, but he pulled it away, turning from her. He didn't deserve her comfort, pity, or love. She was a warrior angel, unafraid in the face of any enemy, and he was a coward. As he felt tears spilling free and streaking down his face, his anger at himself was too much. He wanted to hit himself, to shake some semblance of courage out of his heart. He pounded his fist down into the table, unable to do anything more. "I've worked so hard," he said, "Meditated and prayed and done good deeds. Atoned for the evils I've done. Prepared." His voice shuddered with emotion, and his hand was shaking where he rested it on the desk. He was disgusted with himself. "I consider my body's death and a chill settles in my gut. I am afraid, and it shames me." She cut off the end of his sentence,

"Thane," she said, covering his trembling fist with her own hand. She pulled him to face her, and repeated the motion to place her hand on his cheek. This time he did not stop her. "Be alive with me tonight," she said, then she leaned in to kiss him, and he was lost.

Her lips were as soft as that first night they had spent together. Had it really only been days ago? The kiss began gently, she trying to comfort him, he responding to his own need for sanctuary. It quickly became more frantic. He was trying to convince himself that this was real, that she was alive and in his arms. She opened her mouth against his, allowing his tongue entrance with a soft moan. Her mouth was sweet, her scent almost intoxicating, and he wanted to lose himself in her. He wanted to make them both feel alive, wanted to feel that she needed him as badly as he needed her, just once more.


	17. Chapter 17

_WARNING: Adult sexual situations to follow. Hope you enjoy!_

Thane's blood was on fire. Shepard was pressed against him as he held her pinned against the wall of her quarters. Their mouths slanted against each other, almost as though they were each going to devour the other. He had one hand on her thigh, pulling her leg up and around his hip, as the other braced them both against the bulkhead. One of her hands was on the back of his head, holding his lips against her. Her other hand was busy trying to undo the closures on the front of his shirt. He groaned in equal parts frustration and arousal, and let her leg down in order to remove the clothing impeding them both. His hand slipped from the wall to tangle in her hair as he swiftly undid the buckles and zipper holding his jacket on, before turning his attention to her clothes.

"Ah, Thane," she murmured as he move his lips from her mouth to her throat. They broke apart as she removed her shirt and bra, and both paused for a moment to look the other over. Her skin was flushed, the gentle curve of her breasts moving with each breath, and her lips were swollen from his kisses.

"You're beautiful, Siha," he whispered reverently, and she reached her hand to trail her fingers lightly across his chest, and then they flung themselves back together, his hand only just reaching forward in time to prevent her head from crashing against the wall. Hands scrabbled over fastenings as they both attempted to remove what was left of their clothing without separating. He lifted his fingers to cup her breast, and her resulting groan caused his throat to rumble with a sound of arousal that he didn't think she could even hear. Her nipple was a tight little bud against his palm, and Shepard let out what almost sounded like a whimper as he pinched it lightly.

Breaking off the kiss, he turned his mouth to the other breast, laving the pale skin there with his tongue before scraping his teeth over her nipple, which elicited another sigh from the back of Shepard's throat. Her hands were also busy, scratching her nails down his back and sending jolts of anticipation through him. His cock was hard, throbbing, and he needed to touch her everywhere, to find the release that he knew only she could provide. He knew that he need only lift her leg over his hip again and he could sink into her warm wet heat, and the thought was making him crazy. He also knew that his Siha deserved better that a fast, heated coupling against a wall. It was a war between instinct and heart, but in the end his heart won out. With as much tenderness as he could muster, he pulled her away from the wall, intending to lift and carry her the few steps to the bed, but Shepard was no delicate flower, content to be passive in their lovemaking. He found himself being backed up towards the bed, their mouths back together as she trailed her fingers down the back of his neck and around to his throat frills. Another growl sounded from him, and he laced his fingers into her hair, hovering somewhere between trying to draw her closer and pushing away from the intensity of sensation. The back of his knee hit the bed, and they both fell back, he using his body to cushion her landing. The position they landed in had his erection pressed against her center, and he could feel the warm wetness, teasing him. Shepard could obviously feel it too, as she groaned and ground her hips against him, making him hiss with the tantalising feeling of being so close to her.

"God, Thane," she whispered against his lips, "If you don't fuck me I think I might die." He would have chuckled at her hyperbole had he not felt the same way. Her hips shifted against him again, causing his cock to twitch and making them both moan. It was exquisite torture. He could spend a lifetime teetering on this precipice with her, driving them both mad with wanting. They didn't have a lifetime, though, and the way that Shepard was shifting herself up and down against him was quickly making it impossible to think of anything besides driving himself up into her. He reached down between them and found the small nub that was the center of her pleasure and rocked his finger back and forth against it, wanting her ready for him, not wanting to hurt her.

"Ah, god, Thane," she cried out, her hips pushing back against him with every movement of his fingers. She scraped her nails along the frills on one side of his pelvis and he lost any semblance of control that he had been holding onto. It was too much. He could feel how wet she was against him, and he couldn't wait any longer. He just hoped to god that she was as ready for him as he was for her. He placed a hand on her hips, urging her to lift upwards, and she immediately understood what he was trying to do. Lifting herself up, she used one hand to continue teasing his frills while the other grabbed hold of his cock, guiding him slowly into her.

Thane's head tipped back as a rumble of pure pleasure was ripped from his throat. Shepard lowered her hips, impaling herself on him, and mirrored his action, throwing her head back and moaning. She was so hot and wet and tight, he had to hold himself back to keep from thrusting up into her. She rolled her hips, gripping him snugly, and he almost shuddered with the effort it took to keep still.

"Please, Siha," he entreated, "Am I hurting you? I don't- I can't-" he was cut off as she lifted herself up off him slowly, and then pushed herself back down.

"For the love of god, Thane," she said, "If you have any mercy at all you'll stop talking and fuck me!" It was all the invitation he needed. With a growl that sounded animalistic even to his own ears, he pushed himself upwards, rolling at the same time so that Shepard was beneath him. He thrust his hips forward and they both cried out. He withdrew slowly, drawing out the remarkable sensation as her inner muscles gripped him, trying to pull him closer as he moved back. He began to move with a rhythm, slowly at first. Shepard wrapped her legs around him, her nails digging into his back as her neck arched. Each time he thrust she let out a soft groan or whimper, each sound urging him on.

"Faster," she whispered, and he was only too happy to oblige. He moved his hips faster, then reached his hand down between them and found her clitoris again. Her breath hissed out as he pressed his fingers against her, and he knew that he would have markings on his back when they were done. He wanted them; he wanted her to mark him. He leaned forward and nipped gently at her neck, dragging another moan from her. His hips moved faster, light dancing behind his eyes as his pleasure increased. Shepard was meeting him with each thrust, grinding herself into his fingers and squeezing his cock. He wasn't going to last much longer, but there was no way that he would let himself come before his Siha had found her own pleasure.

Gritting his teeth to maintain control, he tilted Shepard's hips forward so that each thrust brought him in contact with her clit. He held her waist with one hand, and balanced his weight on the other, and he could hear when her breathing started to hitch, coming faster and more desperately.

"Oh god, Thane," she keened, "I'm so close. Don't stop don't-ah!" She broke with a cry, her walls spasm around him as he continued to pump into her, keeping pressure against her centre to prolong her pleasure. Just as her cries faded he found his own release. He stilled, calling out her name as his seed shot from him, holding himself to her as he came back down. He kept his eyes closed, wanting to hold onto the moment for as long as possible. Shepard brushed her hand down the side of his face, then leaned forwards and kissed him gently.

"Siha…" he breathed, contentment spreading through his body. He withdrew from her slowly, causing them both to groan.

"Careful, Thane," she said, humor evident in her voice, "We don't have time for round two."

"There are forty-five minutes remaining before we hit the Omega-4 relay, commander," EDI's voice rang through the cabin. Shepard and Thane stilled instantly and exchanged a shocked look, before the commander addressed the AI,

"You better not have been listening to that, EDI, or I swear…"

"Of course not commander," the voice answered, and both Thane and Shepard relaxed for a moment before she continued, "I was watching." Thane knew that his horrified look must have been similar to the one on Shepard's face. He was about to suggest that they dismantle the AI core piece by piece, when EDI said, "That was a joke."

"Fuck off, EDI," Shepard said, laughing.

"Logging you out," came the answer, and they were alone again.

Thane almost started to speak, wanting to say something, explain his earlier behaviour maybe, but the tired look on Shepard's face made him change his mind. Silently, he shifted over on the bed, and pulled her to him so that her back pressed against his front. She sighed softly, and nestled her head against him. He held her until Joker called to give them a fifteen minute heads up. It was time to go.

"Siha, I-" she shushed him as she had before, her finger against his lips,

"I know Thane," she said, "I know." She leaned in and kissed him tenderly, and then the moment was over. They both rolled off of the bed and put their clothes back on. They had a suicide mission to complete.


	18. Chapter 18

_Here begins the part of this story that takes place during Mass effect 3. Spoilers of the main storyline will definitely be present, so don't get mad if you find out something you didn't want to know! Reviews are always appreciated, and I hope you all enjoy!_

Thane was worried. Outwardly, no one may have noticed it, but his brain was racing. It had been just over two months since they had successfully completed their so-called suicide mission. Shepard had been spectacular, and the Collector base had been destroyed. Then Admiral Hackett had sent some top-secret mission to her, and she had gone off alone. He would have insisted that someone go with her, to watch her back, but he knew that she would hear none of it. She had flown off alone, leaving the Normandy's crew to wait anxiously for her return, and the next news they got was a distress call, three days later. They had flown in just in time, and barely made it out of the system before an asteroid went crashing into the mass relay. The Reaper's invasion had been delayed, yet again, by Shepard, but at such a cost.

Nearly four hundred thousand Batarian colonists had lost their lives in the subsequent explosion, and although Admiral Hackett had understood the necessity of her actions, Thane could see Shepard's guilt. The Batarians were calling her a terrorist, a war criminal, and not entirely without reason. Her posture had radiated her tension for the next weeks, and she had not been her usual spirited self. She wasn't one to share her feelings readily, but Thane had done his best to comfort her. She had almost seemed relieved when the message came from Earth that she was to submit herself for trial. It had been a difficult goodbye.

"Stay safe, Siha," he had said, holding her close as she waited for the Alliance vessel that was going to pick her up.

"You too, Thane," she whispered into his chest. He had never seen his Siha cry, but her voice was small, and he knew that she was concerned for him. His Kepral's Syndrome had grown steadily worse, to the point where he could no longer perform on assignments. In fact, he too was waiting for a transport, one that would take him to a hospital. He hadn't told Shepard yet, but he was getting to the point where Doctor Chakwas and the Normandy could no longer provide him with what he needed. He didn't want to add to her burden before she was court martialed, so he kept quiet and did his best to hide his pain and the increasing difficulty with which he drew breath. They had shared a final, tender moment before Joker announced the presence of an Alliance ship, and then they had kissed goodbye.

That was the last time he saw her before all hell broke loose.

He was on the Citadel when the news came through. The Reapers had finally arrived, just as Shepard had always warned that they would, and they had hit Earth hard. He had been writing to Shepard weekly, but he had stopped sending them after the first few weeks, sure that none of his messages were actually making it through to where she was being held under house arrest. He had been about to use one of his contacts to smuggle a message to her, when he heard about Earth, and his heart nearly stopped.

"Alliance headquarters in Vancouver have been hit, and all communication channels have gone dark," the reporter was saying, "While some ships have managed evacuation, the majority of Earth's population remains on the planet, where this unknown enemy continues to block any attempts to reach our reporters…" He stopped listening, leaning back in the chair in the hospital lobby that he was occupying. Shepard was on earth. What had happened? Was she alright? He had to try to reach her.

He returned to the hospital room where he was staying, his Kepral's Syndrome now so advanced that he could no longer go without daily medical treatments. Using his Omni-tool, he composed a message to Shepard, but he had nowhere to send it. Her address hadn't yielded any response during her incarceration, and communication with Earth was now completely cut off. He sat back, carefully breathing steadily as dizziness overcame him. Stress didn't help his condition, as the doctor overseeing his care had repeated many times, and so worrying would do nothing to help. He would simply have to wait for some sort of news.

Kolyat had been visiting him the past few weeks, and while damage of the kind Thane had done to their relationship took time to mend, they had been working through the pain that he had caused. In the end, it was his son who gave him news about Shepard.

"The Normandy's been at the Citadel, father," he said, and Thane felt his breath catch, "One of the crewmen was injured, I believe he's in this hospital. Rumors are that Shepard is in command of the ship." He couldn't speak for a moment, but Kolyat placed a hand on his shoulder, and Thane caught it with his own.

"Thank you," he said, and his son nodded silently.

"I'll leave you be," he said, "You have a message to write." Kolyat left, and Thane quickly got his Omni-tool and composed a new message. For the first time in weeks, he didn't simply save it to the local drive, never to actually be sent. He knew the Normandy's comm address, and with any luck it hadn't been changed when the ship had been retrofitted by the Alliance. If it had… well, there was no point in dwelling on what might be. If this message didn't go through, perhaps he would go to the docking ring and wait. He smiled wanly at himself, planning a stakeout as though Shepard were a target. He may not have been able to perform like an assassin on the battlefield, but his mind still worked just as well.

If Shepard was truly in command of the Normandy again, he would find some way to reach her, even just to know that she was safe. He had no illusions about their relationship. Just because he loved her, and he had stopped denying that to himself, didn't mean that she felt the same way about him. Still, he wanted to see her again, to know that she was safe, or as safe as she could be given the situation. He sighed at himself, worrying like a Salarian Dalatrass, and sent the message to the Normandy, labeling it so that it would be passed through to Shepard. Once that was done, he went to see who from the crew had been brought to the hospital.

There was a man, probably no more than seven or eight years younger than Thane himself, in one of the rooms of the hospital, his face bruised and cut in several places. He had the telltale scars marking a biotic's implant port. From what Thane had gathered by listening to the nurses, this was the member of the Normandy's crew who had been rushed in. He didn't recognise the man, but that wasn't surprising. The crew he knew had been mostly Cerberus, and the Normandy was Alliance now. Regardless, he put his training as an assassin to good, if far less interesting, use, and listened for a time by the man's door. His name was Major Alenko, Thane discovered, and he was hoping that a woman would come visit him – Shepard? Thane knew that she had been hurt by a man named Kaidan Alenko before he had joined the crew, so it followed that this man was the same. Tali had explained further, telling him that Shepard and Kaidan had been involved, but Kaidan hadn't reacted well to Shepard being with Cerberus. Shepard herself hadn't spoken of him, and he had known it was none of his business, so he hadn't pried.

It seemed that whatever had happened between the two humans, Kaidan had somehow ended up back on the Normandy when the Reapers hit Earth. The exact cause of his injuries had been declared top secret, and even the doctors didn't know what had really happened, so Thane's listening in on conversations only yielded snippets of wild speculation. Well, if he was back on Shepard's crew then Thane didn't care about the past. He would watch out for this young man, and hope, just as the Major did, that Shepard would come to visit him.


	19. Chapter 19

_Sorry this one's a bit late in the day! Real life decided to intrude upon my writing time. Please excuse the bits of in-game dialogue; I couldn't completely cut them out. Me and my strict adherence to canon again. Enjoy!_

Thane was standing by the window of the hospital, looking out over the Presidium, when an alert pinged his Omni-tool. The Normandy had docked at the Citadel. If Shepard had gotten his message, and if she wished to see him, she would be there soon. Although the average, unschooled person watching him would not have seen a difference, there was a near-imperceptible shift in how he held himself. His shoulders were a little straighter, his stance more tense. Waiting was something that he was good at, something that came to him naturally after so many years, but this waiting for someone he wasn't even sure was coming was hell.

He fell into a series of exercises that he had been prescribed in an attempt to hold back the rising tide of symptoms from late-stage Kepral's Syndrome. It was no longer simply a matter of his lungs not performing well. His very cells weren't replicating correctly, and the protein in his blood responsible for carrying oxygen throughout his body no longer formed properly. No matter how much he breathed in, he always felt short of breath. He didn't fear death, however, as he had that night before the suicide mission. Whether because of the time he'd had with Shepard, or the happiness brought to him by reconnecting with Kolyat, he felt truly at peace with himself.

He was still working through the exercises when Shepard entered the door of the hospital. He was facing away from the door, separated from the entrance by a row of seating, but he knew that it was her without needing to turn around. He could taste her scent in the air, gun oil and warmth and sweetness from her shampoo, and he could feel the charge of vitality that radiated off of her in waves. He didn't pause his exercising though. As much as he wanted to turn, to grab her and hold her and assure himself that she was safe, he held himself back, and waited for her to make the first move. She didn't disappoint.

Their first words were awkward, not really shy, but it was obvious that neither was sure where their relationship stood. Shepard explained who Kaidan was, what he had been to her before the first Normandy was destroyed. Thane had already known this, but it made him happier than it should have that she was willing to tell him the truth. He swore to her that, as far as he was able, he would watch out for Major Alenko as the young man recovered.

"I appreciate it, Thane," she said, placing a hand on his arm for a moment. Her words didn't betray any real emotion, and the touch was brief, as though she wasn't willing to maintain any prolonged contact with him. He shouldn't have been surprised. It had been months, and it was selfish of him to hold hope that she would feel for him the same way he felt for her. He spoke to cover the pain he knew must be evident in his eyes.

"I am near the end of my life. It is a good time to be generous." He paused, but knew that he had to speak what was in his heart. He had little time left, and regrets were not something that he wanted to accrue more of, so he continued, "I have only a few loves left, and you are my last. Let me do what I can-" He was cut off by Shepard's lips against his. The kiss was brief, but it was like sunlight again after so long in the dark. Joy unfurled in the pit of his stomach, and he found himself smiling back into Shepard's playfully glinting eyes. "Well," he said, still grinning like an idiot, and not even caring, "I see you want to make up for lost time." He did, however, warn her that his last days would likely not be pleasant, wanting to give her an out, in case he misread the intention behind her kiss. She didn't respond, but instead walked with him to sit in the chairs facing the large window.

In the brighter light from the artificial sunlight filtering in through the glass, Thane could see the faint lines around her eyes that hadn't been there before. Worry was taking its toll on Shepard, and while she may not have seemed different from when he had last seen her, he knew that Earth's invasion must have hit her hard. They spoke, for a time, about him, about Kepral's Syndrome, and she even extended the invitation for him to join the Normandy's crew again, an invitation he turned down. He was dying, and would serve only as an anchor to drag her down were he to go with her. Then, she did something he had not been expecting.

"I've got a few free moments," she said, mischief alight in her eyes, a small turning up one side of her mouth, "Do you wanna spend a little time together?" He recognised the innuendo in her tone, and his heart leapt, but he knew that he would not be able to be the lover that she remembered. He could no longer lift her in his arms and carry her across the bedroom, or spend endless time bringing her to the peak of orgasm again and again as they had done in the weeks after the suicide mission. He also couldn't say no.

"I'd like that," he said, then stood to face the window, wanting to explain his limitations, to ensure that her expectations would not be too high for him to reach. "You should understand that my cardiovascular system is not what it wa-" Again she silenced him with a kiss, but this one was more. He could feel the need in himself answered by the one in her, and desire that had been dormant for weeks flared to life with a moan. For a brief moment, he forgot himself, forgot where he was, and there was only the woman in his arms, warm and soft and perfect. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, wanting her, but he couldn't completely abandon himself, not in a hospital waiting room, so he pulled back to see her smiling at him again.

"You were saying?" she said, humor evident in her tone. It did him good to hear her voice again.

"I've missed you, Shepard," he said softly, and she leaned forward, embracing him, her breath on his neck.

"I've missed you too," she whispered, "now, let's go find some privacy."


	20. Chapter 20

_Warning: Adult sexual situations to follow. Please review if you enjoyed!_

Privacy ended up being in the form of a hotel room not too far from the hospital. Shepard had offered to pay for the accommodations, seeing as she was now back to being bankrolled by the Alliance, but Thane wouldn't hear it. He had made good money as an assassin, and considering how short the rest of his life was going to be he saw no reason not to spend a tiny percentage of it on the woman he loved.

The hotel was decent, not one of the seedier places that rented rooms by the hour further down in the wards. This place charged by the night, and Thane knew that they wouldn't have the time to actually be there the whole night, but there was absolutely no way that he'd drag (or be dragged by) Shepard to one of those cheap places where most guests were paying for the sex they were getting. The room they were led to was small, less than half the size of the CO's quarters on the Normandy, but it had the basics; bed, chair, desk, bathroom. The door closed behind them, and Thane found himself alone with Shepard for the first time in months.

He wasn't sure what he should do. Yes, she'd nearly devoured him with her kiss back in the hospital, but now that they were alone he didn't feel right just jumping on her, as much as he might like to. There was no doubt that he'd keenly felt her absence. At least he'd had memories to keep him company, but even as real as they felt, they weren't as good as the real, flesh-and-blood woman now standing next to him, looking at him with an amused expression that made his heart flutter and his groin tighten.

"Thane," she said, looking up at him in a way that he'd definitely relive the next time that he was alone, "I just spent three months under house arrest. Believe me when I say that I'm currently doing everything in my power to resist the urge to rip all of your clothes off and lick my way from your throat frills to your knees. I don't want to do anything that's going to put undue stress on your body, but-" It was his turn to cut her off. Gently, and with no small amount of irony, he placed a finger over her lips.

"Siha," he whispered, "Stop talking." With a groan, she grabbed him, her lips meeting his as she pushed him back against the door to their room. She grabbed his hand in her own, and brought it up to her breast, placing it there before returning her own hands to his back. Taking the oh-so-subtle hint, Thane massaged her through her shirt, feeling his erection growing in response to the tightening nipple against his fingers and the deep, fervent kisses they were sharing. Her tongue was wrestling with his, her breathing already coming in fast pants, and she broke away from him to remove her shirt and sports bra in one sweep. She was about to get to work on her pants when he placed his hands over hers, stopping her.

"Can we try something?" he asked, looking at her hopefully. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils were dilated. Everything about her spoke to how turned on she was, how much she needed this, and it only served to arouse him more, but he hadn't spent three months without her to waste their time together now. She eyed him warily for a moment before responding,

"I guess so… I mean, yeah, sure, why not?" He chuckled at her. The great Commander Shepard didn't know what to make of him.

"Do you trust me, Siha? You know that I would never let anything hurt you?" She narrowed her eyes at him, obviously suspicious at the question, but still answered,

"Yes, of course."

"Then lie down on the bed, on your back," he instructed, and she did so. He removed his own clothing, a hiss leaving him as his rapidly growing erection was freed.

"I could help you with that, you know," Shepard said, leering at him, and he held in another chuckle.

"Of that I'm very aware, Siha," he replied, "But I have something special in mind. Lie back and hold your arms above your head." She raised an eyebrow at him, but complied. He felt his cock twitch. This wasn't something that they'd done in their brief time together after the Collector base had been destroyed, but he wanted this. It wasn't about power or anything like that. It was about getting her to actually let herself go, just for a moment. He pulled her belt out from where her pants had been left on the floor, and approached the bed.

"Uh, Thane?" she said, "I'm not really into… er… pain. I mean, if you are, there's nothing wrong with that, but…" She trailed off, and he leaned in to brush his lips over hers, then pulled back as she tried to deepen the kiss.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, "But I don't have the strength to struggle with you as we have in the past. I want to make you feel good, Siha. Better than good, amazing." He punctuated his words by grabbing hold of her wrist and, mindful not to pull too tightly, he looped the belt over and around and through itself, up through the bed frame, and then over her other wrist. To Shepard's credit, she didn't struggle against him, but watched with curiosity as he ensured that she wouldn't be able to free her hands without quite a bit of effort. He had gained some skill with knots in his time as an assassin, and this wasn't so different, but it was for a much more enjoyable purpose.

With her hands secured above her head, Thane took his time to just look over the body of the woman he loved. She looked much the same as in his memories, albeit with a few new bruises. Her breasts were pulled upwards by the position she was in, leaving her hardened nipples free for him to enjoy. He crawled up onto the bed, ignoring the excitement that shot through him at being naked with her again, and straddled her legs, effectively pinning her down.

"Thane…" she said, half groan half plea, warning him that he was pushing the limits of her patience. He smirked at her, and dipped his head down, taking one small, tight bud in his mouth as his hand brushed lightly over the other. She moaned, and ground her hips up against him. He fought down his own response, focused intently on the pleasure of the woman now writhing beneath him.

The headboard creaked as Shepard tried to pull her hands down, to touch him or herself, he wasn't sure. He moved slowly down her body, using his mouth and hands in equal measure. He licked the underside of one of her breasts, and the resulting moan made his toes curl. He continued downwards, laving her bellybutton before he reached the apex of her thighs. Gods, but he loved the way she smelled. Humans produced pheromones just like many other mammals, but something about Shepard was making Thane crazy. He groaned, and let his hand drift down to his manhood, stroking himself lightly as he trailed kisses over her mound, teasing himself even as he teased her.

"For the love of god," she groaned, "Touch me." He smiled again, and pulled his hand up from his throbbing erection to pull her knee up, allowing him access to her sex. He ran his tongue over her, loving the way that her hips bucked forward, and then set about bringing her to her peak. His tongue focused on the small bundle of nerves just above her opening, and it wasn't long before the muscles in her legs began to tighten, her breath coming quickly. He was careful to keep his own breathing even, not wanting a sudden bout of coughing to ruin what they were doing. He flicked his tongue over her once, twice more, and she went rigid, calling out his name and throwing her head back as she found release.

He couldn't hold himself back any longer, and he pulled himself up the bed and plunged into her, feeling her inner muscles still contracting around him as her orgasm faded. She felt just like he remembered, hot and wet and tight around him, and his hips jerked forward almost of their own accord.

"Thane," she whispered into his ear, "Untie me." He complied, reaching a hand up to skillfully undo his knots while still holding himself up with the other. He didn't want to admit it, but it took effort to do so, and he had to take several deep breaths to keep himself from growing dizzy. Shepard must have read his body language, or his mind, because as soon as she was free, she used her hips to flip them over, so that she was on top of him.

With a wordless noise, she shifted her hips, drawing herself up over his length, and the plunged back down. The resulting friction was wonderful, and Thane rose to meet her. She repeated the action, lifting herself then pushing back down, over and over until they had a rhythm that was making him moan. He moved one of his hands from her hips, and found her clitoris. He tried to tilt his hips while he worked her with his finger, wanting her to come with him. The way that she was rocking her hips with him inside her was bringing him closer and closer to the brink, and he could feel her own muscles starting to tighten again as well.

"Siha, gods, I'm close," he moaned, trying to urge her to move faster while simultaneously holding himself back. Her only reply was a keening sound that nearly undid him, and she leaned back, placing her fingers over his to bring herself to release again. The sight of Shepard touching herself while she rode him was intensely erotic, and when she swiveled her hips around him it was all over. With a shout, he grabbed her hips and thrust up into her, spilling himself inside her, riding out the waves of his orgasm. Just as he was finishing, he felt her walls contract around him, and she was there too, calling out his name. The froze like that for a moment, then she collapsed on top of him.

She lifted herself off of him gingerly, and then curled up against his side. Wordlessly, he pulled her against him. It was similar to how they had lain after the first night they had spent together, but so very different. She stroked a hand down his arm, and smiled up at him.

"Any time you want to tie me up, feel free," she said, and he chuckled. Unfortunately, that chuckle quickly transformed into a cough, and he had to sit up for a moment, struggling to regain control over his breathing. Shepard rubbed a hand up and down on his back, comforting him with the feeling of her smooth skin against his scales.

"My apologies," he said, "But I fear that I may not be able to do that again anytime soon." A look of concern covered her face, but she didn't say anything about it. They both knew he was dying, there was no point in dwelling on it. Instead, she wrapped an arm around him and leaned against his back, pressing small, soft kisses on his shoulder.

"Well, next time you feel up to it," she said, "you know my extranet address." He smiled at her, placed a kiss on her forehead, and then the moment was over. Once again, reality intruded upon their lives, and they had to pull on their clothing and step back into the world.

"Thank you, Siha," he said before they left the hotel room.

"I think I should be thanking you," she said, "That was pretty amazing." She grinned at him, and he shook his head, smiling. "Come on," she said, "Let's get back to the hospital. I have some Reapers to kill and you have to go make sure Kaidan doesn't get himself into trouble while I'm off saving the galaxy." They smiled at each other, then brushed their lips together softly, and went back to the real world.

That was the last time he kissed her before he died.


	21. Interlude

Interlude

_Hey everyone! I got a couple of comments/reviews from people who thought that I had ended the story at the end of chapter 20, so I had to write a quick note to say:_

_Keep Breathing is not over!_

_As I've said, I couldn't in good conscience break from canon that happened during the games. Thane's story, however, is not over! I don't want to give anything away, but suffice it to stay, I haven't ended this fic, not at the end of Chapter 20, and not at the end of this little interlude. Stay tuned for more!_

_Same bat time, same bat channel._

Thane ran through the Citadel, heart pounding and lungs burning, desperate to reach his destination. He could hear Shepard over the comm, his warrior angel battling once again for the fate of the galaxy.

He rounded a corner, struggling to keep up the pace that was taxing his body beyond its capacity. The Citadel was under attack, the Council was in danger, and Shepard needed his help.

He came to a halt outside the room where he could hear voices, one of them Shepard's, the others not as easily placed. Creeping with practiced silence, he peered into the room and took in the situation.

The Salarian councillor was being threatened by an unknown human male. The assassin was dressed in black, carrying a sword strapped to his back, had a Cerberus emblem on his clothing, and spoke with arrogance, dismissive of both Shepard and her team.

"Three on one, pal," Shepard said, and Thane could hear the edge in her voice. He crept closer, pulling the modified pistol from his holster, calculating the best angle from which to strike. Shepard continued to speak, "It's over."

"No," said the man, "Now it's fun." He raised his hand, a biotic glow forming around his palm, and Thane saw his opportunity. He stood, his pistol level with the man's head, but he was slow, the running having taken its toll on his body.

The human spun, knocking Thane's arm, and he was forced to counter. The resulting hand-to-hand grappling was swift, each of Thane's moves countered by the human. He spun, trying to grab the man's arm and force him into a hold, but found himself flipped. He rolled, drawing another gun to shoot the would-be assassin, but found himself firing at thin air. The man had cloaked.

There was a tense moment where no one in the room knew where the man was, until Thane heard the telltale sound of a sword being unsheathed. He turned, firing, but he was still too slow. The man ran for him, and Thane ducked, feeling the blade cut through the air above his head. He spun out from his crouch, landing two kicks to the man's side before pulling on his biotics, adding strength to his fist and sending the man sliding back across the floor.

Both men stood for a moment, two minds calculating ever angle of attack, every ricochet of every bullet, and then they ran for each other, Thane shooting with his pistol, the human dodging every shot as though they were firing in slow motion. Thane pulled again on his biotics, trying to ignore the dizziness invading his mind, trying to push himself to move as he had once been able to. He moved forward, preparing to knock the man down, when suddenly it was over.

He had been too slow, and the assassin had used the opening. The blade slid through him, and he fell to the ground. He heard Shepard breath his name, pain in her voice, as he collapsed, momentarily incapacitated by the wound. He could feel blood pouring from the hole in his gut, and what had been a faint sensation of breathlessness was now a rapid spiral that threatened him with unconsciousness. He wasn't done yet, though.

He had heard the assassin run, and knew that Shepard would follow, so he pushed himself up, going after them as fast as he could, pushing the pain to somewhere in the back of his mind. He reached the bottom of the stairs just as the sky car carrying the Cerberus agent took off, and neither Shepard's shots nor his own made any impact. The assassin had gotten away.

Thane tried to go to Shepard, but found himself unable to stand. He slid down against the wall, and she ran over to where he was.

"How bad is it?" she asked. He knew what she really meant, even if she might not have been admitting it to herself. She was really asking if she could go after the assassin and be back in time to say goodbye.

"I have time," Thane said, "Catch him." She nodded, emotion shielded behind her eyes, and spoke briefly over the comm system, informing the Citadel Security officer of the situation. Thane leaned his head back against the wall, struggling to pull enough air into his lungs, and watched as she ran for a car, her team in tow.

"I'll wait for you, Siha," he whispered.


	22. Part 2, Chapter 1

_Welcome to part two! I hope that the way I've worked through the events following Mass Effect 3 doesn't disappoint, and that you all enjoy._

He awoke with a jolt, his entire body feeling as though someone had hit him with a shock of electricity. His first breath was strained, and his chest felt like it was wrapped in steel bands. He tried to move his arms, and found himself bound. No – not bound – wrapped. His whole body was encased in large ribbons of something cold, moist, and smelling vaguely of salt – seaweed? Why was he wrapped in the encasings of the dead? He struggled to remember, but his last memory was of lying in the room at Huerta Memorial, with Kolyat, his son, and Shepard, the woman he loved, reciting the Prayer of Forgiveness. His perfect, eidetic memory recalled, unbidden, his last moments.

_Kolyat recites the prayer, with Shepard joining him. Thane's eyes close; listening to the two people he loves most. He is glad that his last act will be to ask for forgiveness for Shepard, that he might intervene on her behalf with his gods. His mind begins to fog, he feels as though he is floating, and his chest no longer pains him._

Thane paused. Had he died, in that moment? If so, why was he alive now, and in so much pain? The electric shock sensation had continued, similar to the feeling one gets when circulation had been cut off to a limb and the feeling rushes back in, but ten times worse. He flexed his hands, which were crossed over his chest, and found his fingers, though stiff, could still articulate. He began to wriggle, writhing his way out from the seaweed bindings. It took some work, but he eventually got his hand free, and started to pull the large strands of kelp off of himself. It was a relief when he finally got his head free, and he could breathe fresh air again.

That's when he noticed it. Breathing was a relief. The past few months, no matter how much air he had taken in, he had still felt breathless, as his blood could not properly carry the oxygen that his body so desperately needed. Everything had become a struggle, from walking to speaking. Now, suddenly, he felt no such problem. Each breath he took was easy, unlaboured, and he didn't feel as though he was constantly asphyxiating. What had happened? How had he gone from lying near death in a hospital bed to wrapped in seaweed and apparently in good health? He had to find answers.

It was cold and dark, wherever he was, and as he struggled he found himself hitting walls on either side of him. Was he in an air duct? That didn't make sense. He quickly pieced together what was going on, however, once he got free enough to feel around himself. Not an air duct, he seemed to be in a morgue refrigeration unit. It took some time to twist himself, but eventually he was able to use his foot against the small latch on the inside of the door, pushing it down with his toes until the handle on the outside turned, and he was able to open the door and push himself free.

Pulling himself out, he continued to peel away the layers of kelp surrounding him, and then stood still to take in his surroundings. Wherever he was, it was dark, but that wasn't a problem for his Drell eyes, which saw through the darkness. What he saw added to his theory of having died. He was in a morgue on a Hanar ship, as best he could tell. He stood next to a large slab of a table, with a jar of seaweed in brine sitting next to him. It seemed as though his preparation had been hastily abandoned, though the reason was not evident. Pieces of kelp lay haphazardly on the table and floor, and the door to the room had been left open. He looked down at himself, comforted that his body appeared as it had the last time he looked, intact and covered in green scales. He was naked, but that wasn't really a problem to him. He looked around the room, intelligent eyes darting from place to place, until he found what he sought, a small chest with his name written on it. His most personal belongings should be in there, along with an outfit he had chosen to be laid to rest with, as was custom in the old Drell religion. He crossed the room carefully, and opened the chest, and felt his heart stutter for the briefest second. There, on top of his things, was a picture.

"Siha," he whispered, his fingers caressing the face of the woman in the frame. Of course the picture of Shepard was at the top of his possessions. He closed his eyes for a moment against the sudden pain he felt. The tingling was mostly gone, but this was a different sort of pain. He was now almost certain that he had died and, somehow, been brought back. As far as Shepard knew, he was still dead. If she felt for him even a fraction of what he felt for her, his death would have been hard for her.

Placing the photo down and continuing to look for clothing, he vowed to himself, "I will find you, Siha, and I will help you in your battles." As far as he was aware, the Reapers were still invading, threatening the existence of every sentient being in the galaxy, and Shepard would be at the front of the battle, trying both to win the war and protect everyone else in the process. His warrior angel was not one to give up, and she was far too hard on herself. All the more reason for him to find out what had happened. He pulled on the ceremonial tunic and pants that were his outfit of choice for the afterlife, and went to the door of the room.

Ever the assassin, he couldn't help but stop and listen at the door. The room had been abandoned hastily, and for all he knew this ship was under siege. All of his senses on high alert, he peeked out around the corner, wishing silently that he had a gun. The outer room, too, was empty, a datapad sitting on a table, still on. He slid around the door frame, silent as always, and crept closer to read what was written there,

It was a news flash bulletin: _Since recent cessation of Reaper hostilities, Sol system remains cut off from neighbors. _Thane couldn't believe what he was reading The Reapers had retreated? Why? Had Shepard been successful? The news article spoke only of the fate of ships in the Sol relay, and emergency measures being put into effect to sustain a large fleet in a small area. He had to find out what was going on. He walked quickly to the door of the outer room, and was about to open it when he caught his reflection in the mirror across from the entranceway. He halted immediately, and turned to get a better look at himself.

While his overall features, shape, and coloring were the same that they had always been – green scales with the occasional black spot, large black eyes with dark green irises, spiky ridges over his brow, body lithe and lean – when the light caught his skin at the right angle, he could see that he was different. A network of tiny connections ran under his skin, much like the network in a computer. This pattern seemed to continue under the entirety of his skin, and his irises glowed ever so slightly. What had happened to him? He looked like he was part cybernetic. Was this how he was alive? Had someone done to him what had been done to bring back Shepard? Why? If he had been full of questions before this discovery, it was nothing to how he felt now. He turned away from his reflection and opened the door, and was met with a very odd sight.

In the corridor of the ship, four Hanar were standing, communicating with vivid flashes of light and color. Thane had, fortunately, had surgery to allow him to see the full range of Hanar communication. They, too, were covered in this subtle, sub-dermal pattern of circuitry. Upon Thane's exit from the room, all three Hanar turned to face him.

"Apologies for interrupting," he said, "But this one would know what has happened." He was careful to observe all of the appropriate conventions of politeness when speaking with Hanar.

This one accepts the Drell's apology, one Hanar answered, using the same method of communication as it had been before, The Reapers are no longer attacking. The one called Shepard activated the Crucible. All species have been… changed. Thane wasn't sure what to say. Changed how? What had this Crucible done? Where was Shepard now? One of the other Hanar spoke before he could formulate another question,

This one would ask, was the Drell not the one we had been preparing for return to Kahje and burial before this ship was called to assist with the Crucible? Is the Drell's name Thane Krios? Thane nodded, too stunned to speak. So he had been dead. What was going on? He needed to find Shepard and the Normandy. The Hanar continued, It seems the change has altered the Drell's physiology sufficiently to resuscitate the Drell. Thane would have loved to ask more about what was going on, but he knew that communicating with the Hanar would be a long and arduous process, and right now he wanted the fast, succinct answers that Joker or Garrus could provide.

"Apologies, but this one humbly requests the use of this ship's communications array," Thane said, "This one would communicate with the vessel known as Normandy." The Hanar nodded their acknowledgement, and directed Thane towards a wall console. He approached, and realised that he didn't have his Omni-tool with him. It was not something that would have been kept on the body after death. He turned to ask for assistance, but the panel lit up as he approached it, and the most amazing thing happened.

Without any need for a tool to interface with the communications array, Thane found himself merging with the ship's computer. There was no accurate way to describe what was happening. He was still himself, but he suddenly had access to all unrestricted ship's systems. Directing himself to communications, he called up the Normandy's frequency, and sent out a hail.

"This is Thane Krios, calling the Normandy. Joker? EDI? Is there anybody there?" He waited one minute, then two, then five, before receiving a message back, not from the Normandy, but from Admiral Hackett.

"This is Admiral Hackett. Is this the Thane Krios who helped Shepard bring down the Collectors?" Thane spoke to the affirmative, "Grab a shuttle to the SSV Hong Kong. I'd like to speak with you."

"Of course Admiral, I'll be there as soon as possible," Thane said.

"Good," replied the admiral, "Hackett out."


	23. Part 2, Chapter 2

_Sorry for the longer-than-usual break between chapters! It's essay season here in University Land. I hope that you like this next chapter, let me know in a review!_

Procuring a shuttle from the Hanar ship was easy enough. Most of the crew were aware of who he was, and of his role in saving the Salarian councillor from assassination prior to his own death. Leaving the ship's shuttle bay, he was stunned by the sheer number of ships that were present in the Sol system. Hundreds of vessels filled the space around Earth, and there seemed to be representatives from every species in the galaxy, even the Geth.

"You did it, Siha," he whispered to himself, "You united them all."

"Pardon, Sere Krios?" asked the young Drell piloting the shuttle he was on.

"Nothing," said Thane, "Just speaking to myself." The young woman nodded,

"We'll be at the SSV Hong Kong in a few minutes. How are you feeling?" She was aware that he had, until very recently, been dead.

"I feel fine," he answered, "Better than I have in over a year. I am a bit puzzled by the apparent nonchalance my resurrection has been met with." The young Drell woman nodded. She was pretty by his species' standards, covered in blue-tinted scales and possessing a lovely shade of red on her throat frills. Her body was shaped like all Drell women, larger hips, with a slim, straight chest. In years previous, he would have appreciated her appearance, but now all he could think of was Shepard.

"I'd be confused too, I guess, if I'd just come back from the dead," she said, "You're not the only one, though, or the first." He wasn't sure if he had heard her properly,

"There are others like me? Others who returned to life after the change?" She nodded,

"Yes. Nobody who died from being wounded, but a couple of the other ships had bodies of deceased who had succumbed to illness or genetic diseases. You have to understand, some of these ships were civilian until very recently, and didn't have time to deal with proper rituals for the dead before coming to Sol.

When the… change happened, the synthetic materials started repairing what damage had been done. Not just the genetic issues, but actual tissue damage, though it took longer depending on how long the person had been… dead. I know of at least three others who have come back. The first man was Salarian. I believe that he scared his crew rather badly when their dead comrade was suddenly up and walking around. I guess your Kepral's syndrome was fixed, and your body just… repaired itself." She smiled at him, and he returned it with one of his own, mostly out of politeness. At least now he knew why he was alive, but until he knew what had really happened, he would feel tense and uneasy. Nobody had mentioned Shepard yet.

The SSV Hong Kong appeared not to have been too badly damaged in the battle against the Reapers. Thane was ushered onboard by a human woman, who led him to a conference room and said that Admiral Hackett would be along shortly. Thane sat and tried to centre himself, to calm the tide of questions swirling in his mind. He was still sitting at the table, hands folded together and eyes closed, when Admiral Steven Hackett entered the room.

Thane had never formally met the man before, though he had performed a variety of missions with Shepard at the Admiral's request. The admiral was not a large man, but he was imposing nonetheless. He had a long scar on one side of his face, and carried himself like a man possessing great confidence. Thane stood to greet him, and returned the handshake the human had offered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Thane. Shepard spoke very highly of your abilities. I heard you died after defending the Salarian councillor from Kai Leng. This change has had some unusual side effects, but bringing back the dead is certainly one of the better ones." Thane nodded,

"Thank you, Admiral. I'm honored by your words. I was surprised when you answered and not the Normandy." Hackett's eyes moved from his, and a lump formed in Thane's throat. What had happened?

"The Normandy's out of comm range at the moment, save via quantum entanglement. Extranet's also down. Whatever happened with the Crucible took down every mass relay in the galaxy, as far as we can tell. The Normandy crash landed on a planet about a system away. They've been working on repairing her for the past two weeks. The crew is fine." The Admiral's answer explained one thing, but left Thane with even more questions.

"I'm sorry, Admiral," he said, "I am at a disadvantage here. What's happened? How did the Crucible stop the Reapers? What happened to the relays?" Hackett placed a hand on Thane's shoulder.

"It's complicated, son," he said, "That's why I've got Host here." At the Admiral's word, a Geth mobile platform entered the conference room, and addressed Thane. The Drell was not completely unfamiliar with the concept of Geth as allies instead of hostiles, but he was surprised at its presence on an Alliance vessel. Whatever Shepard had done had obviously changed a lot. The Geth nodded its head at Thane, then spoke,

"I am unit 428, called Host. With your permission, I would interface with you for the expedient relay of information." Thane was wary. He had not heard a mobile platform refer to itself in first person before, and the fact that it had taken a name was also odd. The Geth noticed his hesitation and continued, "Shepard-Commander aided the unit called Legion in transferring the ability for true intelligence to all mobile platforms. I am now an individual. The change caused by the Crucible has merged synthetic and organic life, enabling us to communicate via information transfer. If I may?" Thane nodded slowly, he might as well, and took the hand offered by Host.

It was unlike everything he had ever experienced. Had he been asked to describe it, he would have likened it to how a computer must receive information through downloading, but it was very different to experience as a sentient being. The acquisition of knowledge was almost instantaneous, and Thane suddenly knew about everything that had happened since his death; Shepard uniting the Geth and Quarians, bringing down Cerberus, arriving on Earth, massive army in tow, and activating the Crucible. The Citadel, once the seat of galactic power, now even more badly broken than it had been following Saren's attack three years previous. The remarkable change in the DNA of all life, obliterating the divide between synthetic and organic, giving the galaxy a chance for true peace. Even the Reapers, once the beings who threatened their entire existence, now helping to mend the broken mass relays, decimated cities, and put the Citadel back together. What Host didn't show him, however, was anything to do with Shepard. Stepping back once the transfer was done, Thane turned to the admiral with his question.

"What about Shepard? Where is she?" He knew the answer before Hackett even spoke, it was obvious in the pained silence, and it felt like being punched in the chest.

"We've been combing through the Citadel, piece by piece," Hackett said, "I'm sorry, Thane, but there's been no sign of her. She's MIA. It's been over two weeks. There… isn't much hope left of finding her." Thane couldn't breathe. His Siha was gone. The edges of his vision went black. It had been bad when he learned of the invasion of Earth, and hadn't been able to get in contact with her then, but at least there had been some hope. Now, though, he felt like his whole world had been ripped out from under him. He had been brought back to life for a world without Shepard? How was this fair? He should be with her, across the sea, holding her in his arms in the land where no one ever got sick and lovers never leave.


	24. Part 2, Chapter 3

"Perhaps the Drell should sit?" Host suggested, and Thane found himself being directed into a chair. Admiral Hackett patted him awkwardly on the shoulder, and then turned to leave the room, passing someone by as he went. A set of footsteps approached Thane, but he didn't care enough to look up and see who it was. _Siha, _he thought, his voiceless cry beseeching, calling out silently the name he had given her that described her so perfectly. A human hand rested on his shoulder, feminine, with perfectly manicured nails, and a woman's voice cut through his misery.

"Thane?" it was Miranda Lawson, "Thane, it's alright. I understand. Shepard was… irreplaceable. She saved us all, Thane. She sacrificed herself so that we could live." Thane took a deep breath in, and lifted his head so that his black, tear-filled eyes met Miranda's blue. That same greenish glow was present in her irises as well, though he was becoming more accustomed to seeing it.

"Have you," his voice broke, so he took another deep breath and tried again, "Have you found any signs of what happened? Any signs of her… her body?" Miranda shook her head, dropping her gaze from his as her own eyes filled with tears. This was the first time Thane had ever seen Miranda cry. Leave it to Shepard to bring out such strong emotions from the woman Tali had once accused of being a robot. Tears made tracks down his own face, as well, as a memory came to him unbidden.

_Green eyes stare into his, their heads resting on the same pillow, their arms around each other. For this brief moment, he feels as though all the time in the universe is stretched out before him. Her eyelids drift closed, and her breathing gradually slows as she falls asleep, warm and comforting in his embrace. He doesn't dare close his own eyes, though, for fear that she will slip away while he sleeps, leaving nothing but memories and her sweet scent behind._

He came free of the memory to find Miranda speaking to him.

"We could set you up with the quantum entanglement system if you'd like, get you in touch with the Normandy. You'd have to use the comm room on this ship, but I'm sure that Admiral Hackett would be willing." He nodded,

"Please," he said, and Miranda showed him to the small room. Once again, he had only to direct his attention to the systems to gain access, and sent out a message to the Normandy, dozens of light-years away. Quantum Entanglement was a brilliant, if expensive, piece of technology, allowing two points to communicate with each other regardless of distance, through use of two atoms created together, and then separated. Whatever was done to one atom echoed in the other, and it had been adapted to use as vehicle for communication, the faster-than-light vibrations translated by the computer in much the same way as the series of ones and zeroes that made up binary. Moments after Thane's message was sent out, a holographic image of Liara appeared in front of him.

"Thane! But, how? You were- ah, I understand. The synthesis of DNA repaired your Kepral's Syndrome, and your body mended itself. Very interesting… I'll have to study the effects on- I'm sorry. Were you looking for someone in particular?" Had he not been so despondent, he would have smiled at Dr. T'Soni's distracted behaviour. As it was, he nodded,

"Yes, I…" he trailed off. Who was he looking for? He didn't know. He was really looking for Shepard. Another tear made its way down his face, and Liara made a noise of sympathy.

"Oh Thane," she said, "I'm so sorry. You must have just found out… Did you want to talk with someone? Is there someone on the Normandy who you were close with besides," her voice also broke, and she cleared her throat, "besides Shepard?"

"I'm… I'm not sure," he said, "Is Garrus there?" He and the Turian hadn't been close in the strictest sense of the word, but they had bonded over talk of rifles and shared war stories, and if anyone else was feeling Shepard's death like he was, it would be Garrus. Liara nodded, and called out behind her. It was only a moment before Garrus's image appeared where the Asari had been standing. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and his eyes seemed to have lost a little of their light.

"Thane. You're alive. Wow. That's, uh, that's great. Good for you, I guess. I mean, obviously good for you, not being dead anymore. It wouldn't be good if you were… dead…" He trailed off, and met Thane's eyes with a haunted look that the Drell knew was probably present on his own face. "She's gone, Thane. She's just… gone. And there's nothing I can do. How are… how are you doing?" Thane bowed his head.

"I just found out," he said, "I didn't know what to… who to talk to." He stood silently for a moment, and Garrus just stood there with him, trillions upon trillions of kilometers away, but sharing the exact same pain.

"Hey, if you're looking for someone who knows… knew Shepard, who you know," Garrus said after a minute, stumbling over his tenses, "Kasumi is somewhere in the Sol system. She was there with the Crucible. I think she was helping to look through the Citadel, to find… the commander." Thane inclined his head in a gesture of respect to the Turian.

"Thank you, Garrus. I'll see if I can find her. I'm sorry for bringing up unhappy things." Garrus shook his head.

"No, no, don't be sorry. It's good to have people to share the pain with. I'm just sorry that you're there and not here on the Normandy. We're almost done with repairs, and should have the FTL drive up in less than a couple of days. We'll be back at Earth in less than a week. Until then… just… stay strong, I suppose. We're all thinking about her, Thane." Thane nodded, and bid Garrus farewell, unable to hold on to his wits for any sort of extended conversation. As soon as the comm went dark, he sank to the floor, a prayer on his lips.

"Arashu, goddess of motherhood and protection, help her find her way to you. Hold her close to your heart, for she is one of your angels, and has fought harder for justice and peace harder than anyone." He stayed like that, seated on the floor of the comm room, until the Drell shuttle pilot came looking for him, to take him back to the Hanar ship.


	25. Part 2, Chapter 4

Thane was sitting in the cabin that the Hanar had given to him for temporary accommodations, lost in memories of Shepard that he had been replaying over and over in his head in the days since waking. He went through ever memory he had of her, good and bad, going over every inch of her skin, her face, her hair. He would never forget her, no matter how hard he could try, so he might as well lose himself in whatever he had left. His reflections were interrupted by a comm signal. Something that had taken getting used to was no longer receiving signals to an Omni-tool, but directly to his brain. Communications officer Jayla's voice came through, clear as though the young Drell was standing next to him.

"You have an incoming communications request, Sere Krios, from someone identifying themselves as 'Joker'. Shall I patch it through?" Thane's eyes snapped open. The Normandy was within comm range!

"Yes, please, Ms. Hetsan." A moment passed, and the voice of Normandy's pilot filled his mind.

"Thane! Heard you were alive! How's it going? What's being back from the dead like?" Joker seemed to be his usual chipper, sarcastic self.

"I'm fine, Joker. You sound well. I take it the Normandy is nearing the Sol system?"

"As talkative as always I see. Yeah, we're actually already in it, just passing Neptune. We'll be at Earth in a few minutes. Want to come and visit?" Thane closed his eyes. Would visiting the Normandy be too painful? Seeing all of the places marked by Shepard's presence, where she had lived and laughed and loved would be difficult. He already knew, though, that he needed to go. He had to see the places were his memories lived, and find what was left of Shepard there.

"Yes, thank you Joker. Let me know when you're stopped and I'll take a shuttle over."

"Roger that. See you in a few. Normandy out."

It was good to see the Normandy's crew. There were a few new additions, and EDI being in a body was something he would have to get used to, but much of the ship was exactly how Thane remembered it. Tali greeted him at the airlock, wordlessly wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close in a shared gesture of friendship and understanding. Garrus was with her. Thane noticed that they had been holding hands when he entered, but didn't say anything. He was glad that they had finally recognised the mutual attraction that he had thought obvious from the start. EDI also embraced him in a very human display of sympathy. He returned the hugs, but there wasn't much feeling behind them. He felt empty, as though all of his life had been drained out. This wasn't like the battle sleep he had been in before meeting Shepard. It was as though he was still dead. His body was up and walking around, but all of the life had gone out of him.

Tali and EDI, who now used the moniker as an actual name instead of an acronym, persuaded him to stay, and he found himself seated in the familiar surroundings of life support. He sat where Shepard sat when she had come to speak with him. He unpacked his small box of possessions that had been shipped over from the Hanar ship, and set about trying to find some remnants of Shepard in the ship.

The commander's quarters were relatively untouched; nobody wanting to intrude on a space that still felt like it belonged to Shepard. Thane noted the framed photo of himself on her nightstand, his heart tightening at the thought of her wanting his presence with her in some way. The rest of the room was exactly how he remembered it. Nothing had been broken too badly in the crash, and it seemed that someone had finally bought Shepard an automatic fish feeder, judging by the fact that there were actual live fish swimming in the glowing blue tank along the wall. A wistful smile crossed Thane's face as he remembered her constant struggle to actually keep anything alive in her fish tank.

_She shakes her head while standing on a chair, one hand above her head, holding a net that dips into the tank and pulls out the corpses of yet another group of fish who have suffered death by starvation due to her frequent forgetfulness regarding feeding. He watches from his perch on the edge of her bed, chuckling as she makes frustrated noises._

_ "You'd think I'd be able to keep a few stupid fish alive, what with being responsible for the lives of every person in the galaxy. I can't believe I killed another batch. I'm a fish murderer." _

He had found her incompetence with aquatic pets endearing, an imperfect side to Shepard that few people got to see. He had also enjoyed her penchant for purchasing model ships to decorate the glass case that separated her desk from the bedroom area. These, too, sat in the same places that he remembered, though it appeared that someone had recently replaced the glass. It must have been damaged by the Normandy's sudden descent onto whatever planet they had landed on. It spoke to the crew's initial reluctance to believe the worst, that someone had not only repaired the cabinet, but replaced every small ship in it in the same manner that they had originally been situated. Things must have been knocked around and fallen during the crash landing, but everything was exactly where Shepard had left it, from the alarm clock near the bed to the datapads on the desk. Someone had come in this room for the sole purpose of tidying it up.

He became aware of the sound of elevator doors opening in the hall, and the sound of soft footfalls outside. The door to Shepard's room opened, and Liara was standing in the doorway.

He hadn't gotten to know the young Asari very well. Their only interaction had been during a mission to take down the Shadow Broker and rescue a young man named Feron. From what he had observed during that undertaking, however, he knew that she and Shepard were very close. Liara had been part of all this since the beginning, joining up with Shepard back before she took down Saren and became the hero of the Citadel. He knew that Liara felt Shepard's passing as acutely as he.

"I cleaned up in here after the crash," she said, confirming his suspicion, "I didn't want her to come back to find such a mess. I suppose that I wasn't really ready to…" she trailed off, and Thane finished the thought for her,

"To believe that she wasn't coming back."

Liara nodded. "I'm sure that, wherever she is, she knows how much she is loved."

Thane swallowed the lump that had taken up a semi-permanent residence in his throat the past few days. "Loved more than anyone. She saved the whole galaxy," he said, and Liara nodded, and then came to sit by him on the bed. While he knew that Shepard had seen Liara as a sister, he also had understood the way that the older woman had looked at her commander when she thought she wasn't being watched. Both the Drell and the Asari were mourning the loss of a person they loved deeply. "I need to thank you, Liara," he said, "The time before retaking Earth must have been very difficult for Shepard. I am glad that she had someone by her side who cared for her." Liara's cheeks colored with a faint blush.

"I wasn't the only one. Garrus, Tali, Kaidan, EDI… even Joker. I think that the whole crew loved her, in their own ways. She was a rock, shielding us all from the storm. It wasn't easy on her… I've never seen Shepard so," Liara paused as she struggled for the right word, "So overwhelmed." Thane nodded. He had seen the same, when she had visited him on the Citadel. She had done her best to hide it, wanting to appear strong, but he could tell that the fate of the galaxy resting on her shoulders was taking its toll.

"Thank you, Liara, from myself as well," he said, and she looked at him, puzzled,

"What for?"

"For understanding."

They sat in companionable silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts about the woman who had changed not just their lives, but the lives of every person in the galaxy. Thane lost track of time, and wasn't sure how long it had been when Liara stood.

"I should go," she said, "I hope… I hope that you'll be alright, Thane." He gave her a wan smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and she left, leaving him to his memories.


	26. Part 2, Chapter 5

_Thank you for the reviews, everyone! I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story. I'm sorry for all the feels. I owe some people tissues, I suppose! I hope that this next part makes up for my less-frequent posting (my buffer has been severely shortened by lack of free time). Enjoy!_

He dreamed that she was calling out for him, lost somewhere in a maze of corridors and doorways. He could hear her voice, but could never seem to find her, to catch up with her.

"Thane," she cried, her voice panicked, pleading.

"I'm coming, Siha!" he called back, running down hallway after hallway, trying to follow the sound of her voice.

"Thane!" Her voice was more desperate, and he frantically pushed himself to run faster. She needed him, and he needed her. Where was she? Why couldn't he find her?

"THANE!" The shouting woke him up. He was in Life Support, lying on the cot that he'd set up to sleep on, and it wasn't Shepard calling his name, it was EDI.

"EDI? What is it, what's wrong?" He was still groggy, not entirely sure of what was going on.

"I am sorry to have shouted at you, Thane, but you were not waking up when I called your comm," she said, her voice was still the same one from when she had been merely the Normandy's AI, despite the fact that she was now no longer merely synthetic, but organic as well.

"It's fine," he said, "What's going on?" There was a beat, and EDI said something that made Thane's heart drop.

"It's Shepard."

"What about Shepard?" he asked, already pulling his clothing on, "Have they found her body?" At least it would be something, give him a chance to say goodbye and put his anxious unknowing to rest.

"Admiral Hackett did not wish to discuss it over the comm. He has requested the presence of the Normandy's crew on the bridge. He will be docking with us momentarily," EDI said, "I thought that you would want to be present."

"Thank you EDI," he said, "I do." She told him that she would see him in a moment, and he hurried into his clothing. He needed this, needed closure, as did the rest of the crew. It still hurt though, and he stood with his eyes closed while waiting for the elevator, carefully controlling his breathing and the vague nausea that he felt. The doors opened, and he found Tali and Garrus in the car, the Quarian woman leaning against the Turian in both a show of support, and to receive some herself, Thane could tell. Garrus coughed and stepped away from her when the doors slid open, but Thane waved his hand at them,

"Please, don't worry about hiding from me. I am glad that you two finally discovered your feelings for each other," he said. Both Garrus and Tali started to speak at once.

"Oh, we weren't-"

"You mean she was-"

They both stopped talking and looked at each other, before Garrus shrugged his shoulders and put an arm around Tali.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag," he said. Tali let out a small laugh,

"You've been hanging around humans for too long. You're picking up all of their idioms," she said. Thane stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed behind him. As the car passed up to the CIC level, Tali placed a hand on Thane's shoulder. "Are you alright, Thane?" He bowed his head forward,

"Thank you Tali. I am as alright as can be expected, given the situation." She nodded her understanding, and Garrus spoke aloud what they were all probably wondering.

"Why did the Admiral want to talk with us in person? How bad must it be if he can't even tell us over the comm?" Thane shook his head, and Tali spoke,

"I'd rather not think about it." Both men nodded, and stood silently until the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open.

It looked like the entire crew of the Normandy had gathered in the CIC for whatever Admiral Hackett had to say. There were plenty of familiar faces from his time with Shepard's crew, as well as a few new ones. Apparently a skeleton crew was managing the ship, in order to allow as many people as possible to be present for whatever news there was about their commander. One young woman, who had been previously introduced to Thane as Traynor, was speaking quietly with another young woman in an Alliance uniform. Thane could hear the conversation.

"What could be so horrible that he has to come tell us in person?" asked the woman whose name Thane didn't know. Traynor responded,

"I don't know. Maybe… maybe there wasn't," her voice trembled, and slipped down to a whisper, "Maybe there wasn't much left…" Thane closed out the conversation. His own speculation was bad enough; he didn't need to hear those of the other crew members as well. Dozens of horrible scenarios ran through his mind; she was so horribly mangled that they couldn't recognise her at first, she had been taken by the Reapers before the end of it all, and what was left wasn't even human, just a husk with blazing blue eyes, or, probably most likely, there simply wasn't enough left to bury. His stomach clenched as he struggled to push the morbid anxieties from his mind. All that speculation did was made it worse. He calmed his thoughts, relying on the breathing techniques taught to him so many years ago when he had first begun training to be an assassin, and waited for the Admiral to arrive.

It wasn't long before the message came over the radio, Admiral Steven Hackett requesting permission to board the Normandy. Major Alenko, the highest ranking alliance personnel member on the ship and temporary commanding officer, gave him the okay, and the airlock hissed as it was pressurized.

The Admiral's face gave nothing away as to what he was about to tell the crew; he was as serious as always. The anxiety in the room was palpable, but fortunately Hackett didn't draw out the moment.

"I know that you're all probably wondering why I've come here to talk to you instead of just saying what I had to say over the radio channel," he began, "What I'm about to tell all of you is classified. It's beyond classified, and there is a complete order of radio silence regarding the matter. Some groups might be listening in, and while the change may have made peace a possibility, there are a few groups who are still holding grudges. I really shouldn't be talking to you about this at all, but I know that you all followed Shepard through hell and you deserve to know what's going on. I trust all of you. Shepard trusted all of you, and that's good enough for me, so I know that you'll respect the order not to breathe a word of this outside the walls of this ship," He took a breath and paused, then said what everyone already knew was coming,

"We've found Shepard," he continued, and Thane closed his eyes, drawing in a lungful of air and bracing himself for whatever came next. Whatever he had been expected, it wasn't what the Admiral said, and he felt his breath leave him as surely as if someone had kicked him in the chest when the next words left Steven Hackett's mouth, "And she's alive."


	27. Part 2, Chapter 6

_I'm flattered by all the reviews for that last chapter! Sorry for the cliffhanger. :P Hope you enjoy!_

Thane couldn't hear anything. He knew that there was a cacophony of noise around him as every member of the Normandy's crew reacted to the news that they've just been given, but the only noise audible to him was the thudding of his own heart echoing in his ear canals. He didn't think that it had beat since being told that Shepard was dead, but now it thundered in his chest, and it felt like he might burst. Tali had jumped on Garrus, giving him a hug that looked like it could crush bones, and was letting out some sort of high pitched squealing noise. Liara and EDI were both being crushed against Joker's sides, as the flight lieutenant let out a whoop of joy, and similar displays of happiness and celebration were taking place all around him, but Thane had nobody that he wanted to share his feelings with. Nobody, that is, except for the remarkable woman that he had just learned was not dead, as everyone had thought. He wasn't entirely sure that he had heard right, and held his breath, afraid that any movement or noise would destroy the illusion, and he'd find himself awake in Life Support, still alone and with Shepard still gone. Admiral Hackett held up his arms, raising his voice to be heard over the din,

"Quiet, please!" An equal measure of the respect the man commanded and his rank made the Normandy's crew fall gradually silent, and he continued, "It's not all good news. She's in pretty bad shape. The repair crews found her spaced near where the Presidium ring ended up after the explosion. She'd been out there for over three weeks, she was clinically dead when they found her, and whatever happened before that… well, the doctors are doing what they can for her." There were soft murmurs of concern from various people, and Doctor Chakwas stepped forward.

"I would like to help, if I may," she said, and Liara followed,

"And me," she said, "I may not be a medical doctor, but if there's anything I can do…" There was a sudden discord of sound as offers of assistance came from every person present. Thane would have spoken as well, but it was too loud for the Admiral to have distinguished any of what was said. Hackett waved his arms again, and the group fell silent.

"Your offers are appreciated," he said, "and Doctor Chakwas, the medical team that's working on her would be glad to have your help. Right now, though, there isn't much that most of us can do, besides hope."

Garrus stepped forward, "Permission to speak freely, Admiral?" he asked, still following the military protocol drilled into him by the years of training in the Turian forces. Hackett nodded, and Garrus continued, "There are some of us who are… particularly close with Shepard. I, ah, I don't want to imply that everyone here doesn't care for her, but-" EDI cut him off,

"I believe what Garrus is trying to express is that some members of the crew were closer friends with Shepard than others."

"Thanks EDI," Garrus said, his voice laced with sarcasm, "Anyway, those of us who have been with Shepard from the beginning, who fought with her, and talked with her… I think that we should be allowed to visit, at least. Even if there is nothing that we really can do." The young man Thane knew to be James Vega chimed in,

"I've read stuff about coma patients being able to hear people talking to them, and that familiar voices are good." This was followed closely by Tali saying,

"We are her family." Garrus, Liara, Joker, EDI, Kaidan and James all nodded. Thane took the opportunity to add his piece as well,

"We love her." EDI and Liara both smiled at him.

"Alright, fair enough," Hackett said, "A few visitors wouldn't hurt. There'll be medical protocols to follow, though, and you'll have to leave if the medical staff asks you to." Everyone nodded their assent, and Hackett excused himself to return to the Hong Kong. EDI quickly got busy organising how they would get to the location where Shepard was being treated, and everyone started talking amongst themselves. Thane was still stunned. A hand was laid gently on his shoulder, and he turned to find himself face to face with Garrus. He and the Turian may not have been close, but he counted Garrus among his friends, and believed that the friendship was reciprocated.

"You as shell shocked as I am?" the Turian asked him, his mandibles flaring in a way that Thane had come to interpret as a smile.

"I'm not sure what I am," Thane responded. Garrus shook his head,

"Yeah, no kidding. I mean, I should be elated, right? My best friend is alive! But all I feel is… confused." Tali came over and stood with them, and Liara joined the conversation as well.

"I don't care what I'm feeling," she said, "I just want to go see her."

"To make sure it's all real," Tali added, and the other three nodded.

"I'm going to go see if I can speed up the shuttle process," Thane said, "It will be… nice, to not go alone, if we all go together." He got enthusiastic replies in the affirmative from everyone, and left to go speak with EDI. Shepard was alive, and he had to see her.


	28. Part 2, Chapter 7

_Sorry for another long wait! It's Thanksgiving up here in Canadaland, so this weekend was a little crazy, but in a good, turkey-filled way. Thanks for reviews and follows, and don't worry, all will be explained, in time…_

The MSV Andrelia, the ship where Shepard was being treated, was ridiculously well-guarded. It was a fairly small, out-of-the-way civilian ship that had originally been used by some scientists working on the Crucible. It was now just one of many non-descript civilian ships floating around in Alliance space, waiting for the mass relays to be fully repaired before it could go back to whatever system it had originated from. Nobody looking at it would ever have guessed that it housed the woman responsible for the salvation of the galaxy.

Inside the ship, however, was a different matter. The airlock had two security checkpoints, and well-armed Alliance soldiers stood guard every few feet. Peace may have been made a possibility thanks to the synthesis of organic and synthetic life, but Shepard had made some powerful enemies in her time as a soldier, and some of them could still be holding a grudge. Nobody was willing to take the chance that the commander could be murdered in her bed before she ever regained consciousness, and so the name of the ship, and the nature of its purpose, was extremely classified.

Thane, Kaidan, EDI and Liara were the second group to be allowed in, Garrus, Tali, James and Joker having been the lucky ones to be on the first shuttle over to visit Shepard. As the transport whizzed through the distance between the Normandy and the Andrelia, Thane felt his tension growing. It was only his years of training and practice at stillness that kept him from pacing back and forth through the cabin, as Liara was doing.

"Liara, sit down," Kaidan said, his voice betraying his own agitation, "You're making me dizzy."

"I'm sorry, Kaidan," she said, and she stopped her pacing and perched on one of the benches in the back of the shuttle, "I'm just so nervous. It doesn't make any sense. She's our commander, our friend, but I feel like I'm heading to a funeral. From what Garrus said, she doesn't sound like she's in very good shape…" she trailed off, and then got up and resumed walking back and forth around the small cabin space. Thane reached a hand out to grasp hers, pulling her to a halt.

"She's Shepard," he said, "She's already been dead once. This is nothing." She gave him a wan smile, and sat down again. EDI, who was unusually silent, placed a hand on her shoulder. Kaidan looked over at Thane.

"Listen, Thane," he started, "I never really got a chance to thank you when you were looking out for me in the hospital, but… I'm glad that someone was there for Shepard. Especially after Horizon, when I… when I wasn't." Thane was touched by the sincerity behind the young man's words. He recognised the same depth of feeling for Shepard in Kaidan that he himself felt, and knew how difficult it must have been to return to her life but find her with someone else.

"There is no need to thank me, Kaidan-" he began, but the major cut him off.

"Yes, there is," he said, almost angrily, "I was an ass to Shepard, and there's no excuse for it. I ruined whatever chance I may have had. She deserves to be happy. She may not have shown it, but after you died…" he went silent again, and Liara picked up where he had left off.

"I'm sure she'll be very happy to see you," she said to Thane, and then to Kaidan, "And you, as well. She told me that we're who she was fighting for, her friends, her loved ones. She needs to keep fighting, and we have to let her know that we're still here." Both the men and EDI nodded, and the shuttle was silent again until the pilot called back,

"We're about to dock with the Andrelia." Thane made one last futile attempt to calm his nerves while the shuttle flew into the docking bay, and then the three teammates stepped onto the bay deck.

They were met by a young Asari doctor (young by Asari standards, somewhere in her mid-200s) and two armed escorts.

"It's not that we don't trust you," the doctor, who introduced herself as Korinya, explained, "It's just protocol." Kaidan said that they all understood perfectly, and they walked through the two security checkpoints. It took several minutes for Thane to pass through, having to remove several of his more cleverly concealed weapons. Liara protested, stating that it was obvious he wasn't there to hurt Shepard, but he didn't mind the extra security measures. In fact, he approved of them. Security was better here than on the Citadel, that was for certain and anything that kept Shepard safe was fine by him. The doctor walked with them the rest of the way, explaining the commander's condition and what they were doing to help her.

"You understand, she hasn't shown any signs of regaining consciousness yet, but right now, that's a good thing," Korinya said, "Whatever happened to her… there was a great deal of damage. We've been regrowing her skin with good success thanks in part to the synthetic and organic blend in her DNA, and the cybernetics left over from whatever Cerberus did to bring her back have been helpful, but I want to warn all of you. She was very badly injured, clinically dead when they brought her in. The battle on Earth broke several of her bones, and whatever happened on the Citadel caused extensive trauma to her arms and face, not to mention severe internal bleeding and brain swelling. She spent a very long time in the vacuum before the rescue teams found her, and while we think that her synthetic tissue may have saved her…" she stopped talking and looked at the stricken expressions that Kaidan and Liara had, as well as the one Thane knew he wore himself. EDI looked more like she was listening intently to the descriptions of Shepard's injuries, but the doctor was still obviously embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I'm not used to interacting with loved ones. I was just a student on Thessia before the war hit and… just… talk to her. Let her know she needs to keep fighting. We're doing everything we can." With that, she stopped in front of a door that said nothing but "4B" above it, and used her facial scan to open it. Liara hurried forward, closely followed by Kaidan, and Thane took a deep breath, steeling himself against his anxiety, and stepped inside.


	29. Part 2, Chapter 8

The first thing that hit him as he entered the room was the smell of antiseptic. It was familiar to Thane, having spent the last three months of his previous life in a hospital. He ignored Garrus, Tali and the others, all of his attention focused on the figure in the bed. Most of her skin was wrapped with bandages, and the parts that weren't were covered in vicious purple and yellow bruises. Several machines were attached to her, letting out small beeps and pings that were the only signs that she was alive at all. Her face, what little of it that wasn't covered by gauze, was swollen, red, unrecognizable, and one of her arms was encased in a plastic cast. The hardest part for Thane to see was the tube that fed into her mouth and down her throat, a ventilator next to the bed manually pushing air into her lungs at timed intervals, causing her chest to rise and fall in an unnaturally precise rhythm.

"Siha," he said in a pained whisper, and moved to the side of her bed. Liara had gone to stand on the other side of the cot, her hand hovering over Shepard's bandaged one, afraid to touch her and cause and more damage. Kaidan had stopped just inside the door, and seemed to be unable to express whatever he was thinking. Thane knelt by the side of the bed he was closest to, and ever so gently, with a delicacy he had learned from years of work as an assassin, touched the ends of his fingers to one of the only places not covered in bruises or gauze, Shepard's shoulder.

"Oh Shepard," Liara said softly, "What happened to you?" Joker placed a hand on the Asari's arm. Garrus and Tali were both seated in chairs at the end of the room, having been there for almost a half hour already while the shuttle made the round trip to the Normandy and back. Kaidan seemed to have recovered himself, and stepped over to stand next to where Thane was kneeling.

_Arashu, goddess of motherhood and Protection, _Thane silently prayed, still holding his fingers perfectly still against Shepard's skin, _This one is your daughter, and never has there been a more true Siha in your service. She has sacrificed so much to keep others safe. Please keep her close to your heart, and protect her as she protected those who could not defend themselves. Please help her to regain her strength, that she may once again be your sword and shield. _The prayer wasn't a traditional Drell supplication, but the entire situation called for something untraditional. It was almost completely silent in the hospital room, as if no one knew what to say. The only sounds were the machines and the combined breathing of everyone there. The quiet didn't last very long, however, before Joker spoke.

"Well, she's been worse," he said, matter-of-factly.

"That's true," Garrus said, "From what I've heard about Cerberus bringing her back, she was more like a shuttle crash than a person before they started."

"This is Shepard we're talking about," Kaidan added, "It'll take more than a Reaper and a couple of explosions to take her down."

"She'd probably be insulted if she knew we were even thinking it," Tali said, and all six pairs of eyes in the room instinctively flicked towards the commander's prone form. Garrus let out a slightly strained laugh, and ran a hand over his face,

"Spirits, it's like we were all expecting her to sit up and start yelling at us." There were a few quiet chuckles, and then silence descended once again. It lasted for longer this time, and was only broken when Tali let out a small sniff.

"Oh no, Tali, don't cry!" Garrus exclaimed, and pulled her into a hug while she started weeping,

"I'm sorry. I just- I just- Keelah, she's so… broken! I didn't know-" her words lost coherence as her sobbing grew worse. Thane felt a tear track down his own face. He knew what she meant. Shepard seemed so small and fragile in that bed, and no one knew how to help. They all stood helplessly for a while longer, until Kaidan suggested that they take turns talking with her, letting her know that they were there, and that they cared about her, and that she had to keep fighting. Everyone murmured agreement, and the Major spoke with Garrus, working out what order people would visit in. It was tacit that each person wanted a private moment with the woman that they all owed their lives to.

The order in which they would speak with Shepard was, in the end, determined by random numbers chosen by Thane, who volunteered to go last. It may have seemed a selfless act to the others, but in truth he wanted to stay with his Siha as long as possible, and did not want to feel as though he would be keeping others waiting. He sat in the makeshift waiting room – actually the ship's lounge – while each of Shepard's loved ones took their turns. Kaidan returned with red-rimmed eyes, and Liara had visible tear tracks down her face upon leaving the commander's room. Even Joker, who usually approached every situation with an excessive dose of sarcasm, looked tired and downtrodden when he came back from his visit. Thane spent the time alternating between brief conversations with the others and lost in his own thoughts.

When his own turn came, Thane slipped silently into the room, once again taking in the sight of the young woman in the bed. She didn't look like someone who had saved a whole galaxy. She looked like just another victim. He sat by her bed for a moment, carefully running his fingers over that same spot on her shoulder that seemed to be the least-injured part of her. He didn't know what to say, but if what James had mentioned was right, then his voice might be able to reach Shepard somewhere in her subconscious.

"Siha," he began, "You have saved my life three times now. You brought be back to life when I fell in love with you, you grabbed me and held on when the Collector base was crumbling around us, and now you've brought not only my soul but my body back from the dead. If there remained any part of me that was not completely yours, it belongs to you now. I swear to you, Siha, I will bring you back to life in turn. This hospital bed will not be the final resting place of the great Commander Shepard. So keep breathing, Siha. I'm here with you for every breath." He bowed his head and murmured the prayer that had been on his lips since finding out she was alive. He spent some time by her bedside, just listening to each inhale forced into her lungs by the ventilator.

Each member of the Normandy eventually made their way back to their ship to sleep, several shuttle trips back and forth allowing for each person's preference. There was, however, one crew member who did not board a shuttle to return. Nobody said anything about the absence, though it was noticed by all of Shepard's visitors. They decided that it would be best to simply not mention the suspiciously missing assassin, and simply left, each knowing that Shepard was being guarded by the very best.

Thane had slipped silently into an unused room as guards and military police made their rounds. He had pinpointed the cracks in the ship's security almost subconsciously, and was using them to his full advantage. It may be difficult for someone to board the ship without authorization, but once on board it was very easy to stay there. He waited for the ship's public-area lights to dim, signaling the beginning of the night-cycle, and then slipped out into the hallway.

There was a pair of nurses in the hall, deep in discussion about Shepard's drug regimen, but Thane had no trouble making his way past them. This was probably the easiest time he'd ever had sneaking into a place where he wasn't supposed to be. It probably had something to do with the fact that, instead of trained mercenaries, the majority of the ship's residents were medical staff, not at all on the lookout for intruders. He reached Shepard's door without meeting anyone else, and found it locked. Keeping his acute hearing trained for any sign of approach, he moved his hand forward and made his first foray into hacking a lock since the change.

It was odd, at first, interfacing with the door lock. It lacked the intelligence of the Geth with whom he had interacted upon his meeting with Admiral Hackett, and it didn't contain the user interface that the Normandy's comm system had. It was simply a matter of organising the lock within his mind, matching connections and coaxing the security to be let down for a moment. With slightly disorienting, he found it to be blessedly simple, and it wasn't long before the seal turned green and the door slid open.

Inside, Shepard was exactly as he had left her. Still lying motionless, still connected to tubes and wires, still just as broken. He felt almost as heartbroken as when he'd entered the room earlier, despite the time he had already spent there. Creeping cautiously over to the bed, he looked over the datapad attached to the bedframe that hadn't been present while visitors were in the room. His medical knowledge wasn't extensive, and his knowledge of human physiology was even smaller, but he knew enough to see that only about half of her surgeries were over and done with. It was going to be a long process for Shepard to heal. He watched her for a while, noting the way that her face was so still, as though she wasn't even dreaming in her sleep. Not wanting to dwell on what it could mean, that her mind wasn't at all active, he took up a post in the corner beside the door. Admiral Hackett hadn't been sure if there were still some people in the galaxy who would kill Shepard if given the opportunity, but Thane was taking no chances. He had no weapons, but that made no difference. He was the deadliest assassin in the galaxy, sniper rifle or no, and if anyone wanted to hurt his Siha, he would take them down. He spread his feet, hands folded in front of him, head bowed, and began to meditate. To anyone watching he would appear to be oblivious to his surroundings, his eyes closed, stance relaxed, but he would have sensed the presence of anyone approaching from either end of the hallway long before they reached the door. Thus he began his vigil.


	30. Part 2, Chapter 9

**_Author's Note: _**_So, basically, I suck for not updating for so long. No excuses. I'm really sorry to anyone who was waiting! I'm going to try doing longer updates a little less frequently (More weekly, less daily) and hopefully I'll be able to stick to that. I hope that you all enjoy, and I thank everyone who's reviewed!_

* * *

Three days went by. Each day, one or more members of Shepard's team would come by the Andrelia, and Thane would join them as though there was nothing strange about his presence, despite never being on the shuttle over from the Normandy. Of course, they knew exactly what was going on, and he often found himself being handed a package of food from Tali, or a book from Liara, or just a knowing smile and unspoken thanks from Garrus. He was fortunate that being Drell meant he didn't sweat like a human, or the lack of showering or bathing facilities available to him would have been a problem. As it was, the only real problem that he faced was lack of sleep. This problem had been solved by an unlikely person on the fourth day.

Thane hadn't had much interaction with James Vega, as the young man had joined the Normandy's crew only after Thane had left. From what he could tell, however, the big man had a proportionally large heart, and his propensity for nicknames amused Thane to no end. It had been confusing, hearing Shepard called "Lola" by the human, but he understood that there was warmth behind the silly moniker, and had taken a near-instant liking to the human man. This liking had been affirmed when Vega came by to visit on the fourth day of Thane's vigil.

"Thane, hey," Vega said, by way of greeting. His voice then dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "I brought you some food. I cooked for the crew last night, saved you some leftovers." He passed over a large reusable container. Thane smiled in appreciation,

"Thank you, lieutenant," he said, and the larger man grinned.

"Hey, no problemo. Can't have you dyin' of hunger while you're… ah… on mission." Thane smiled at the inept attempt at deception.

"Don't worry. There are no listening devices in this room." Vega looked relieved.

"Good, good. Don't want to let your secret out! How're you holding up here? Been getting any sleep?" Thane must have looked guilty for a moment, because the lieutenant shook his head. "That's not good. Why aren't you sleeping when the rest of the crew is here? Use the vents or something!" Thane mentally kicked himself for his stupidity. The vents, of course! There was one in Shepard's room, and he could easily fit into the hole behind the grating.

"Thank you again, lieutenant," he said, smiling, and the man clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Happy to help, Thane." Thane nodded, and then turned to leave and give the larger man privacy. He paused at the threshold, and turned back for a moment.

"I don't get a nickname?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice.

"Course ya do, Shadow," the human quipped, mischievous light in his eyes, and Thane left him alone, shaking his head. Shadow, how apropos, considering what he did, and how he felt these days. He was indeed a shadow, of himself, in the dark, belonging to Shepard. He slipped into an unused room, and climbed up onto a chair next to the vent grating. Now, at least, he could get some sleep.

Several more days passed, and Thane watched silently as Shepard was wheeled out of the room for surgery after surgery. Each time she was gone, his heart clenched. The crew didn't come on the days she went in for procedures, they weren't permitted, so he was alone with the anxiety, waiting to see if she'd come back out of the operating room on a bed or in a bag. Each time, she came back, wheeled in by orderlies, blood dripping down from her IV bag, and she was re-hooked up to the machines, which maintained their steady pinging. On the fifth day, the breathing tube was removed, and Thane spent three hours just listening to Shepard breath, thanking every god he knew of. On the sixth day since he had come, Thane managed to sneak into a decontamination room for a quick cleaning while an amused and conspiratorial James Vega stood watch, promising to run interference if anyone tried to find out what he was doing. Thane found himself smiling at the human man. He was so honest, and his affection for the commander was endearing. He was like a large Varren pup, paws too big for the rest of him, deadly if he wanted to be, but all heart. Shepard had been lucky to find him.

Following the brief decontamination, Thane returned to Shepard's room, where EDI and Liara were seated, talking in hushed tones,

"What'd we miss?" James asked. Liara looked worried, and while Thane found EDI's synthetic face more difficult to read, she was obviously concerned as well.

"I was reading some of the doctor's reports," Liara said. No one even batted an eyelash at the idea, of course the Shadow Broker had access to Shepard's medical reports.

"Is there something wrong?" Thane asked, and Liara and EDI exchanged a look that did nothing to make him feel better.

"It's just…" Liara began, "Physically, Shepard is doing remarkably. She's healing well, and every surgery has been a success, but…" Once again, she trailed off, leaving Thane and Vega hanging on the edge of what was starting to look like a very painful cliff.

"Shepard's brain activity is… minimal," EDI finished, looking uncomfortable. "She's breathing on her own now, all of her autonomic systems are functioning, but it's as though she's just… gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Vega asked, an edge of horror creeping into his tone.

"Her doctors are worried about the lack of brain activity. It's like… she's like a ship with all systems running, but no crew." Even though she wasn't saying anything that Thane hadn't already been dreading himself, hearing the words was painful.

"Is she brain dead?" he asked. He was beyond tiptoeing around by this point. If his heart was being ripped out of his chest, he might as well just get it over with.

"No," EDI said emphatically, "The fact that she is breathing means she is not brain dead. If it weren't for the lack of brain activity on her monitors this would be a deep coma, a three on the Glasgow Scale, but she isn't dreaming. The doctors are puzzled."

"As are we," Liara added.

"Maybe she's just… really, really tired?" James asked, earning a sigh from the Asari.

"No, this isn't normal. It's… not natural. We don't have any idea what happened in the Crucible, what Shepard had to do…" All eyes turned back to the still figure tucked into the bed. Her bruises had subsided somewhat, and the new skin was less angry and swollen, but she was still a long way from being his Siha again. If only he could see, could know what was going on inside her mind. Inspiration struck, and he turned back to EDI.

"Perhaps someone should investigate," he said. Liara opened her mouth to question what he meant, but EDI held up a hand, and Thane could see the puzzlement in her eyes shifting swiftly to understanding.

"Of course, that might work! I should have thought of it sooner!" James and Liara still looked confused, and Vega spoke,

"Someone mind filling me in?"

"With a human, or any organic being, it's not as though someone can enter their mind and see what's going on," Thane began, and then EDI picked up where he left off,

"With a synthetic, however, if there is a problem, if something isn't working properly, diagnostics can be run, to see what is causing the error, and repair it." Liara had a look on her face that Thane had seen mostly when the young woman had discovered something remarkable about Protheans.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, "We may not be able to run a diagnostic on Shepard, but she's part synthetic now, we all are, and we already know that person-to-person interfacing is possible! Theoretically, at least, someone should be able to interface with Shepard, to see what's happening in her brain." By this point even James was caught up in the excitement.

"So, that's it? We just plug someone into the Commander's brain, and they go in and… fix whatever's wrong?" EDI nodded hesitantly,

"In essence, yes, though it will likely be considerably more complicated than that." Vega shrugged,

"Whatever, complicated's nothing. If it helps Shepard, I'm game. So, who's going to go all Vulcan mind meld on Lola?" There was a brief moment of silence before Thane spoke.

"I will."


	31. Part 2, Chapter 10

_Hello to anyone who's still reading, and Happy New Year! I'd like to start off with an apology for the long pause between chapters. I don't have any excuse, I just wasn't writing. I hope you can forgive me, and I thank everyone for the wonderful reviews and their patience. That said, let's get on with the story! I hope that you like it! Expect more Vega, because I think he's adorable and hilarious! Onwards!_

* * *

As Thane had expected, organizing a mind-to-mind interface with Shepard did not turn out to be easy. First off, they had to clear it with the cavalcade of doctors overseeing her recovery. Thane, EDI and Liara were joined by Tali, due to her extensive knowledge of synthetics, and Miranda, who had come after being appraised of the situation by Admiral Hackett. Apparently, Ms. Lawson had become quite important in the efforts against Cerberus during the tail end of the war, and had earned herself a place of trust and respect in the Alliance, despite her lack of military rank.

Fortunately, because of Thane's own successful experience interacting with Host, he was able to speak from personal knowledge, and EDI assisted in explaining the more technical aspects of the proposed procedure. Still, the conversation with Doctor Penadon was a difficult one.

"It is a novel proposal," the Salarian doctor said after hearing their initial idea, "Though completely untested. Transfer of information from one mind to another is one thing, complete interfacing is unprecedented. We have no way to know the risks."

"The risks, Doctor Penadon, are that Shepard will never regain consciousness," Miranda said. Thane had always found her forcefulness a little off-putting, but there was no one else that he would rather have had in his corner in this case. "I've read the medical reports. You have no idea what's wrong, why she's not reacting to any stimuli, or even dreaming. This is our best hope."

"Well, be that as it may," the doctor said, looking very flustered, "There's no way we can know if it would even work, if Sere Krios could even navigate such an operation."

"Actually," Tali piped up, "We do. Shepard did something exactly like this, with Legion and the Geth." Thane's brow rose slightly. This, he had not heard about. Tali continued, "Legion linked her into the Geth consensus, to eliminate Reaper code and take down a dreadnought. This is the same idea, just on a smaller scale."

"Well, not exactly the same," Liara said quietly, "She had Legion to help guide her." Tali nodded reluctantly, but EDI looked thoughtful.

"Perhaps Thane could have a guide, as well," She said, earning four pairs of eyes looking at her questioningly. Miranda, however, seemed to understand instantly.

"Of course," she said, "It's unlikely that Thane would be able to manage the interface himself. EDI could serve as a bridge of sorts, managing the connection on both ends. She wouldn't be able to see what Thane was seeing, so to speak, but she could act as a voice to point him in the right direction." It was a good idea. Thane hadn't been sure how he would maintain a link with Shepard. It was one thing to open a lock or send a comm message, but he had no idea how to go about connecting with another's mind. Given enough investigation, the synthesis change would be able to open an entirely new avenue of communication, but it would take time and research. For now, it would be far safer to allow EDI, who would be able to navigate a synthetic connection, to manage the mission.

"I should also be able to direct Thane towards problem areas, and have enough knowledge of human physiology that I can decipher what is happening in Shepard's brain," EDI added. The doctor was looking less than enthusiastic, but seemed to be giving their proposal some serious thought.

"I'm not thrilled about the idea of someone walking around in my patient's brain," he started, "But we're low on ideas right now. Considering that you all seem to be at least somewhat familiar with this… unorthodox concept, I'll talk to the other doctors."

"Well, I think it's the best idea we've heard all day," came a woman's voice from the doorway. The group turned, and Doctor Chakwas strolled in, a calm smile on her face. Thane had spent a great deal of time with the Normandy's doctor, due to his condition. She was a strong, intelligent woman, and was more loyal to her crew than some gave her credit for, even following Shepard to Cerberus after the destruction of the original Normandy. "If there's anyone who can bring Shepard back, it's Thane," Chakwas continued, "And I, for one, think she deserves all that we have to give her." A warm smile was directed towards him, and Thane felt the corner of his mouth quirk up. It was nice to know someone had such confidence in him since his return.

"Doctor Chakwas!" The Salarian doctor exclaimed, "I hadn't expected... er, that is..." It was the first time the man had been speechless since the meeting had started.

"Hadn't expected me to find out you weren't including me in this conversation?" She finished. Doctor Penadon looked contrite.

"Yes, well, this is highly sensitive information, your history with Cerberus..."

"Is inconsequential," Miranda interjected. Thane felt a small chuckle in the back of his throat. Miranda's position afforded her a completely new history, and so she wasn't treated the way that many former Cerberus operatives had been following the war – like a criminal. It was obvious that, although Doctor Chakwas had been cleared of any charges before the Reapers had even invaded, not everyone was comfortable with her. "Doctor Chakwas followed Shepard, and there's no medical professional here more loyal to her," Miranda turned to address the older human, "You like the idea?"

"At this point, I like any idea," Chakwas said sardonically, "And I think having EDI there will be very beneficial. We all trusted her with our lives on the Normandy, so I see no reason not to trust her again." EDI spoke up,

"Thank you, Doctor Chakwas. If I had a circulatory system and translucent skin I would be blushing."

"You're welcome, EDI," Chakwas said, "Now, how soon can we get all of this figured out?" With that, what had started as a meeting to convince Shepard's medical team to consider the procedure turned into a planning session, leaving poor Doctor Penadon to sputter on the sidelines.

The first step in preparing was for Thane to practice interfacing with another mind, one that was healthy and aware of what was being done, just to get a feel for how it would work. Liara had volunteered as the test subject, citing the Asari's familiarity with mind-to-mind interaction, but it had ultimately been decided that she was not the ideal candidate. They needed a human, to get as close to Shepard's brain as possible, so that the procedure would be as familiar as it could be with Thane's limited experience in practice. Thane had first asked Kasumi, owing to their mutual respect, but hadn't been surprised by her response.

"Nuh-uh," she had said over comm, "Nobody's getting into my brain besides Keiji. A girl's gotta have some mystery." Thane had smiled at that,

"Everything you have is mystery, Kasumi," Thane had said, to which Kasumi had laughed,

"Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way! I've given myself enough trouble working on the Crucible. I don't want it to let out that someone else knows what's in my memory. Next thing you know there'll be pictures of me on holo ads, and every two-bit thief in the galaxy will be knocking on my door, asking for lessons. I wish you all the luck in the world, Thane, but find a different guinea pig." They had parted amicably, with Thane wondering what a pig from Guinea had to do with anything.

The next most logical choice had been Miranda, but she, too, had refused, though on very different grounds.

"I would love to help Shepard by doing this," she'd said when Thane and EDI had spoken with her, "but we have no way of knowing if my brain is similar enough to Shepard's, given my genetic modification."

"Did Shepard not go through some modification during the Lazarus project?" EDI had asked.

"She did," Miranda answered, "But only a very small amount, and nothing with regards to her brain's composition. We wanted the real Shepard, exactly as she was. Too much messing around in her head could have ruined that. No, you'll want a basic, every day human. Someone like Traynor, or Donnelly, or Westmoreland. I would suggest Joker, but I'm not sure if he's actually human at all."

"I can assure you," EDI said, "Jeff is definitely human." The sly smile on her face made Thane decide that he was better off not knowing.

In the end, it was James Vega who volunteered.

"Aw, what the hell?" he'd said, "If it helps the commander, I'll let Thane into my head. Just, uh, try not to poke around in any... personal areas, you know what I mean?"

"Fear not, lieutenant," Thane had replied, "I won't hold any thoughts that I stumble upon against you, and I am extremely adept at keeping secrets." James hadn't seemed completely reassured, but nevertheless, the following day was met with he, Thane, EDI, Miranda and Doctor Chakwas in a medical lab, preparing for the procedure.

It had been decided that Vega should be unconscious, so as to best mimic the situation with Shepard. The doctor was there to ensure everything went smoothly, medically, and Miranda was present mostly out of her own personal interest. James had protested, at first, to having "a girl" present while someone "rooted around inside his skull", but an indignant snort from Doctor Chakwas and an icy glare from Ms. Lawson put a swift end to that.

"Are you comfortable, lieutenant Vega?" Chakwas asked.

"About as comfortable as I can get, I think, considering I'm lying on a medical table with more sensors attached to me than a Salarian test subject," he answered, indicating himself with one hand, "That and, y'know..." he trailed off and pointed towards Miranda.

"I promise, lieutenant," Thane offered from his own medical table, "Any embarrassing thoughts that I find shall go with me to my death." James smiled at him, saying,

"I'll hold you to that, Shadow," then gave a thumbs-up to Chakwas, who pushed a syringe into the nutrient bag dripping into Vega's forearm. It was several seconds before his eyes started to droop, and his final words before falling unconscious were, "Just don't tell my abuela..." Three pairs of eyes turned to Thane.

"Well then," said Doctor Chakwas, "Shall we begin?"


	32. Part 2, Chapter 11

_I'm still writing! It's just a little slower than before. I had trouble with this chapter. Writing dreams is hard, because it has to make sense to the reader, but most dreams make about as much sense as riding a quesadilla. Anyhow, I hope that this chapter is acceptable, sorry for the long wait, and there's more to come!_

* * *

Whatever Doctor Chakwas had given James had him out like a light, and Thane could see the lieutenant's eyes moving rapidly beneath his closed eyelids.

"I've induced REM sleep," she explained, "I believe that will make it easier to interact with him. As a test, he has a code phrase I've given him. Your job, Thane, will be to extract said code phrase once you're inside his head. Are you ready, EDI?" EDI nodded. "And you, Thane?" He nodded as well, and Chakwas turned her attention to the equipment monitoring the two men. "Whenever you like, EDI," she said.

EDI stood next to Thane's table, and looked at him with eyes that he still found impossible to read. "I'm going to connect with you, and then act as a router with James," she explained. Thane knew this already, but supposed that it was best to confirm everything each step of the way.

"I'm ready," he said.

"I would suggest you close your eyes, to avoid overstimulating your brain," she added, and Thane followed the suggestion. His eyes closed, he felt more aware of the presence of each person in the room. He had always been very aware of his surroundings, it was a job requirement, but since the change, now that he focused on it, this was different. He could feel each person, as a distinct mind working separately from his own. Miranda was a blazingly intelligent spark somewhere to his left. Doctor Chakwas was a warmer, more wise presence closer by, and James was softer, dormant, obviously asleep. EDI was entirely different, her mind felt more synthetic. He had no other way to describe it. It felt like he was trying to explain the colour blue after having been blind his whole life. This synthetic mind reached towards him, a signal across the space separating them, and he suddenly was connected with it.

Thane, can you hear me? came EDI's voice, similar to a comm message in his brain.

"Yes, I can," he spoke. He heard Miranda murmur "Fascinating".

It will be faster if you simply think your replies. Your mind works significantly faster than your mouth. EDI said, and Thane thought his affirmative. I'm going to increase the signal strength. You may lose focus on the physical room. He was grateful for the warning, as it was shock enough when he suddenly felt nothing to ground himself. It was similar to how he stopped noticing his clothing against his skin after a few moments wearing them, but with the entire room around him. It was as though the table and sensors and light had disappeared, and it was very dark. EDI spoke again, and this time it almost felt like his own thought.

I'm going to connect with James now. He signalled his affirmative again, and felt a new presence in the interface. It was somewhat muddled, not as crisp and clear as EDI's. I'm increasing the band again. I'll try to filter out the background noise. Organic minds are less organized than synthetic. He could suddenly see where he was, and it was nothing like the medical room where he had been.

James was crouched behind a low wall, an assault rifle clutched tightly against his chest, and he was shouting orders into his comm.

"No, damn it, we've got to get on that ship!" A burst of gunfire sounded from somewhere to Thane's right, and he dove behind the wall to share Vega's cover.

Is everything all right, Thane? EDI's voice sounded in his mind.

Vega is having... an unpleasant dream, Thane explained, Any idea what might happen to me if I die in here? He knew that many cultures held the superstition that a person killed in a dream would die in reality, and while he knew better than to believe it, he couldn't help but be cautious in this unfamiliar scenario, especially when James was popping up over his cover to return fire.

You would simply lose the connection to Lieutenant Vega's mind, EDI explained, An inconvenience, but nothing life threatening. Thane thanked her, and turned his attention back to what was going on around him.

"What is happening, lieutenant?" he asked. Vega turned to him, unsurprised by his presence in the way that dreamers were always unconcerned by breaks of logic within a dream.

"It's the Collectors. They've got our intel and our people! We need to find a way onto their ship," James said, then he cursed as a loud whirring noise started above their heads. Thane looked up, and was faced with the sight of a Collector vessel, its engines starting to pull it up from the atmosphere of whatever planet James was dreaming about.

"Do you have a code-phrase for me, Vega?" Thane asked. Perhaps he could simply get this over with quickly and avoid putting James through what was probably an unpleasant memory.

"Not now, Thane!" James yelled, "You've gotta help me get them back!" Vega started running towards the ship, and Thane was forced to follow.

Any suggestions, EDI? he asked as he followed James across an open field.

We could start over, she answered, End the connection, wake him up, and then hope his next dream is less... conflict-ridden. Thane shook his head,

No, we're going to finish this. Who knows what obstacles I'll encounter in Shepard's mind. I need to get used to dealing with this. EDI voiced her confirmation,

I would suggest following Vega, then. From what I know of organic dreams, logic is not a large component of what happens. It's entirely possible that you will simply appear in the next area without any actual transition. Her words were perfectly punctuated by a sudden shift. James had, apparently, run so fast that he had broken the barriers of space and time and teleported into the Collector ship, pulling Thane along with him. The lieutenant spun to face Thane, and handed him a sniper rifle,

"Follow me, Thane. We've got to get our intel back. The mission depends on it," Vega said, before taking off in a brisk walk down the wide hallway. "I'll give you the code phrase once the package is secure!" he called back over his shoulder. Thane was left with no choice but to continue following he lieutenant, and he quickly fell back into the familiar posture that had become ingrained in his very being, rifle held at the ready, mind alert and prepared for what they might face in this world within James's mind.

The inside of the Collector vessel was exactly as Thane remembered. Organic and inorganic stretched and melded together, the hexagon-like constructions reminiscent of an insect hive. Whereas the Asari aesthetic has always struck Thane as being an elegant meld of organic and synthetic design elements, soothing and peaceful to look at, the Collectors' architecture had a very different effect. It was disconcerting, and put him on edge. Just as the Collectors themselves were an abomination, a twisted perversion of life created by the Reapers, so were their vessels. James and Thane ducked down behind an outcropping as they heard the telltale buzz of the approach of wings. Falling back into old habits, Thane popped up momentarily, using his rifle's sights to get a feel for their opponents, before crouching back down and signalling to James.

Two fingers, pointing at his own eyes, then a whole hand held up for a moment, before indicating towards their left. The message was clear. "I see four targets, on our 11 o'clock position." Vega nodded, then pointed towards Thane's gun with his chin before signalling in the direction Thane had pointed, a questioning look on his face. "Can you take any out from here?" Thane nodded the affirmative, then rolled out to the side of the cover, being careful not to come up in the same place as before. There was nothing more stupid than coming out of cover in the same place twice. It made one a very easy target.

The Collectors hadn't spotted them yet, and Thane was able to get a shot out before being seen. A sharp bang ricocheted around the corridor, and one opponent was down, a large hole through its head. Thane rolled back into cover, and the real fire-fight began. James was an excellent soldier – it was no wonder that Shepard had valued him – and although the Collectors were reinforced several times, between the two men they made short work of their enemies. Thane was about to request the code-phrase once more when James vaulted over their cover and moved silently towards where the ground was littered with the bodies of fallen Collectors.

He is giving you trouble, isn't he? EDI asked, and Thane gave a mental sigh.

If I had thought this would be easy, I would be a fool. he thought back, and he crept out to follow the lieutenant. James stopped short, and Thane crouched again, ready for another wave, but Vega let out a shout, and ran forward.

"I found her, Thane!" he yelled, and he darted through an open door that had definitely not been there moments ago. Thane hurried to keep up, not wanting to be left behind should the ever-shifting architecture of James's dream decided to make another drastic change. He rounded the corner and skidded to a halt, his heart dropping sharply into his stomach. Whatever or whoever he had been expecting, this wasn't it.

Shepard stood in the centre of the room, some sort of medical lab if the operating table and medical instruments were any indication. She looked whole and well. In fact, she seemed to be... posing. Her hands were on her hips, her red hair longer than Thane remembered it and blowing behind her as if moving in some personal breeze. At her feet were a dozen fallen opponents, ranging in species from Collectors to the Turian-Reaper bastardizations called Marauders. The look on her face was one of fierce determination, and it took Thane a moment to fully comprehend what was going on.

Of course, he though, this must be how Vega imagines Shepard. Now that the initial shock of seeing his Siha so vibrant and alive had faded, he was able to once again grip hold of reality. This was Vega's dream, nothing more, and the women standing in front of him was not Shepard. She was simply another construct of the sleeping lieutenant's mind. Besides, Shepard would never pose over a mountain of dead like that, and... what was she wearing? It was some sort of skin-tight jumpsuit, with a zipper up the front that was pulled down nearly to her navel. Perhaps this was what James had been so concerned about Thane seeing in his mind. At the moment, however, the lieutenant was standing at attention in front of the commander, his rifle at his side, and his eyes fixed on the middle distance.

"At ease, Vega," Shepard said. Even her voice sounded different. Thane knew every nuance, every inflection, of his Siha, having spent countless hours doing nothing but pouring over every memory he had of her. This was not really Shepard.

That still didn't stop him from feeling as though he'd been punched in the stomach.

Are you all right, Thane? EDI asked, concerned.

I... I will be, he answered, I just need to get the code-phrase and then I'll disconnect.

"Lieutenant?" Thane said, being careful not to look at the dream-Shepard, "May I have the code-phrase now?" Vega looked up at Shepard, as if waiting for confirmation. She nodded, and James turned back to face the Drell.

"Kilo Charlie 357," Vega said. Thane repeated it back, making sure that it was correct, and when James nodded, he turned his back to the lieutenant and his image of Shepard.

EDI, he thought, Get me out of here.

Affirmative, came her reply, and Thane felt his mind separating from Vega's. Slowly, his knowledge of his own body returned, and with it the sensation of lying on a medical bed. James once again became a dormant mind somewhere off to the right. And then even that awareness faded as EDI withdrew herself, leaving Thane alone with his own thoughts. He opened his eyes to find Doctor Chakwas hovering over him, and she quickly went through a perfunctory examination before moving over to begin rousing James.

"Are you okay, Thane?" Miranda asked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"I am fine," He replied, "It was merely... disconcerting, being present in someone else's dream." Miranda nodded.

"Let's hope lieutenant Vega is also no worse for wear," she said, and Thane was reminded that, while it may have been unpleasant for him to experience the apparition of Shepard within the dream, for the man whose mind he had been invading, it had been indistinguishable from reality. Thane knew little of James's military history, having been preoccupied since meeting the young man, but from the small amount that he'd gleaned from conversations with others on the crew, Vega had lost friends to the Collectors, and had been forced to make an impossible decision. This was obviously what the dream had been about, and Thane could only hope that it was no more traumatic upon awakening than any other unpleasant nighttime visitations. He watched carefully, therefore, as Vega was given a stimulant to counteract the effects of the drug Chakwas had given him earlier.

The room was very quiet as they waited for James to wake up, and so it was doubly startling when the young man opened his eyes and yelled out,

"Shit!"


End file.
